NEWCASTLE University has strengthened its digital humanities department with the appointment of a leading art historian.

Professor Richard Clay advised Tate Britain on its 2014 exhibition 'Art under attack', and has made several appearances in the media. His first BBC 4 documentary, 'Tearing up history' was aired in 2014 and was warmly received by critics.

His latest film, ‘A brief history of graffiti’, will be broadcast next week on BBC4. In the programme, to be broadcast Wednesday August 26 at 9pm, Prof Clay looks at an art form which spans cave paintings, revolutionary posters, the triumphal graffiti of Russian troops who captured the Reichstag in 1945 through to contemporary street-art.

Prof Clay said: “I’m enormously excited to be joining Newcastle University as the new Professor of Digital Humanities. The university’s staff and students are doing really amazing digital work and lots of it involves working with other organisations and communities. For me, that shows how committed the institution is to its important role as a civic university, and I’m looking forward to helping them develop this wonderful portfolio of activity in the years to come.”

In his new role, Prof Clay will provide leadership for colleagues throughout the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences working in Digital Humanities at Newcastle both through their own research and by fostering research projects co-developed or led by others. He will work closely with external partners and act as a catalyst for cross-disciplinary projects exploiting digital technologies. He will also work with colleagues to expand the University’s digital humanities teaching offer to students.

Professor Eric Cross, Dean of Cultural Affairs at Newcastle University, said: “I’m excited to welcome Richard to Newcastle University. He brings with him a wealth of experience in innovative collaborative arts-based research projects and I’m sure will play a prominent role in keeping Newcastle University at the forefront of this dynamic area.”

Prof Clay is currently the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s 'Commons Leadership Fellow' and also sits on the AHRC's Tenth Anniversary Advisory Board.