Dr Cui Su

Head of Advertising

After her boss at Young & Rubicam told her 'you're the best account handler I've ever had but go, get out of this town and explore the world', Cui left her job and moved overseas to study for an MA Media and Communications at Goldsmiths, University of London. She then won an Overseas Students Research Award scholarship to stay on to do her PhD which she successfully completed with no corrections.

In her 13 years in the UK, Cui has been focused on the intersection of academia and the creative industries: a rewarding and challenging place, she believes, between the heights of ivory-towers and the trenches of vocationally-informed teaching. Although media theory and cultural studies honed her intellectual skills, it is through teaching and great colleagues that helped her to explore new areas in design, digital media and practice-research. She has written and taught successful advertising and media courses at Goldsmiths, Winchester School of Art, London College of Communication, before moving to Falmouth in 2018. In addition, she has been invited to guest lecture at Kings College, Norwich Arts University, Central Saint Martins and Elisava School of Design.

 

External Links

Contact details

Email Cui.Su@falmouth.ac.uk

    Qualifications

    Qualifications

    Year Qualification Awarding body
    2003 BA Media and Communication Nanyang Technological University
    2006 MA Media and Communication (Distinction) Goldsmiths, University of London
    2010 PhD Media and Communication Goldsmiths, University of London
    2013 Postgraduate Certificate of Academic Practice University of Southampton

    Honors and awards

    Year Description
    2007

    Overseas Student Research Award

    Research Interests

    Research Topics

    • Research questions related to media forms and creative practice (advertising and design), digital cultures, political economy of Big Tech, and regenerative economies.

    Research Outputs

    Publications and research outputs

    • Su, Cui and Courier Holdings Ltd

      (2017), Selling feminism: 'femvertising' is a risky game., In: Courier, Courier Media, London, UK, ISSN: 2396-933

    • Chan, Angela, Willis, Peter, Georgiou, Marina, Tyhurst, Rosa, Su, Cui, Beber, Emily, Johnson, Erin, Shellenberger, Herb, Bains, Harman, Lloyd, Kathryn and Gillick, Liam

      (2017), Hitozine 2: The World's Only Hito Steyerl Fanzine

    • Su, Cui and Peart, Rob

      (2013), L/R

    • Su, Cui

      (2018), eaching Entrepreneurship: Building on the Creative Advertising experiment" In: Core Academic Training (CAT)

    • Su, Cui

      (2012), "Printed Matter or, Towards a Zineic History of Reading" In ed. Fernando, J. On Reading: Form, Fictionality, Friendship. New York: Atropos Press., In: On Reading: Form, Fictionality, Friendship. New York: Atropos Press., Atropos Press, New York, ISBN: 978-0-9853042-1-8

    • Su, Cui

      (2011), Zines, In: Print Matters, University of Southampton Library; Tate Library & Archive, University of Southampton, ISBN: 9780854329137

    • Su, Cui

      Branch, James, (2011), Print Matters: Zines, In: Print Matters, March 2011, Southampton Hartley Library

    • Su, Cui, Peart, Rob and Sunderland, James

      (2011), Future:Content, It's Nice That, London, UK, ISBN: 978-0-9564373-2-7

    • Su, Cui

      (2018), Teaching Entrepreneurship: Building on the Creative Advertising experiment, Falmouth University

    • Cokes, Lucy

      Branch, James, Ferguson, Joel and Ecover, (2024), The Home ECOnomics Report, Item availability may be restricted.

    • Cokes, Lucy

      Branch, James and Ferguson, Joel, (2024), Evolution of Laundry

    • Cokes, Lucy

      Branch, James and Ferguson, Joel, (2024), Evolution of Laundry

    Research Students

    Current research students

    Kelly Parker, A study of black racial stereotypes in UK prime-time television advertising.

    Previous student supervision

    Joskaude Pakalkaite. Development of Noise-free Digital Interfaces.

    Number of research students supervised to completion

    2

    Research degrees examined

    I have examined one PhD candidate (PhD in Creative and Critical Practice) at University of Sussex alongside Professor Catherine Grant.

    Teaching

    Areas of teaching

    • Final Year Project
    • Media Lab
    • Start-up
    • I teach media and cultural studies through the contextual lens of advertising practice and the creative industries. I also teach political economy of Big Tech, digital culture and digital aesthetics.

    Courses taught

    • Creative Advertising BA(Hons)
    • Marketing Communications BA(Hons)
    • Media Production BA(Hons)

    Business Engagement

    Business engagement case studies

    I have been contracted for research (and advice for research design) resulting in outputs including: literative review and primary qualitative research report, panel member and speaker for public sponsored event and co-author on public report on research findings.

    Consultancy and facility services

    I have worked with various external clients to develop strategies and creative briefs to meet their communication objectives.

    I am one of the founding staff members of our in-house behavioural change agency BE Good which works with external clients whose aims are good for society and the environment. Our partners include Launchpad Futures and Ogilvy UK.

    Professional Engagement

    Social, community and cultural engagement

    Expert panel member and speaker for public event in London. See link for full details:

    Project Ecover: Laundry Research

    Engagement with professional associations and societies

    • I engaged with the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) for curriculum design and professional accreditation for our advertising and marketing courses.
    • I engaged with the History of Advertising Trust (HAT) for archival research, doctoral supervision, and to collaborate on our department publication, Adlands, and employability projects.

    Professional esteem indicators

    Year Description
    2025
    • Nominee for Royal Garden Party 2025 (Education & Skills)