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Personal statement

Dr Ruth Farrar works at the intersection of academic research, creative practice, and industry, with a specialism in immersive spatial audio. She is Founder of the Immersive Audio Network, Co-Director of the Centre for Cultural and Creative Industries (CCCI) and Reader in Creative Media and Enterprise at ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿.

Farrar's current research centres on three interlocking strands. First, original spatial music production by Farrar, securing UKRI funding and support from MyWorld and Digital Catapult for a project called , investigating immersive spatial music workflows. Farrar developed Flow in collaboration with Real World Studios, Grammy award-winning Hans-Martin Buff, Adrian Utley from the band Portishead and academic partners at the University of Bath and the University of Bristol. Flow has reached public and industry audiences through showcases including Immersive Music Day in Belgium, Faku’gesi Festival in South Africa, and SXSW London, with a world-first livestream from SXSW London to MIT's Spatial Sound Lab in the USA.

The second is investigating the wellbeing benefits of immersive spatial audio. Farrar’s research in this field is being commercialised via a new evidence-backed product she is developing for the wellness industry called Sonifae, funded by securing a BSU AHRC Impact Accelerator Award (IAA). Farrar is also leading research studies, such as working with Wounded Buffalo sound studio on the Odysso app.

Finally, the third is immersive spatial audio exhibition for audiences exploring exhibition in cinemas via the Flow project and in museums and galleries, such as The Mystery of the Missing Gemstones production bringing artefacts to life, co-designed with neurodivergent needs in mind for The Roman Baths in the UK.

Farrar’s previous binaural research has resulted in international sound art exhibitions like ‘From Austria to America’ and app commissions such as ‘Dear Carnegie Hall’ for Carnegie Hall in New York. She completed an AHRC-funded PhD by practice at the University of Exeter on the theoretical, creative and technological applications of binaural technology usage.

In industry, she has successfully created media for international clients including French Vogue, Discovery, and Twentieth Century Fox. Her award-winning films have been screened at film festivals around the world from Cannes to California. For eight years, she was Director of Shextreme Film Festival and Shextreme Alliance: the world's first international network for female-identifying adventure filmmakers and photographers.

As Knowledge Exchange Lead in the School of Creative and Cultural Arts, Dr Farrar also plays an active role in supporting and advising Bath Spa colleagues carrying out impactful public engagement research and knowledge exchange. In 2026, she was awarded a BSU Knowledge Exchange prize in recognition of her extensive knowledge exchange activities connecting academia with industry.

Academic qualifications

• BA (Hons) – Trinity College Dublin
• MA – University of Bristol
• PGCE – University of Exeter
• PhD –  University of Exeter, AHRC-funded

Professional memberships

• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
• Institute of Professional Sound
• British Film Institute: SW Film Hub

PhD External Examiner

• Immersive Creative Practice: Understanding and designing immersion from a sonic led multisensory perspective (University of Melbourne, Australia)

PhD Supervisor

• Isabel Potter - Immersive Digital Scenography: utilising application software to establish novel systems for easier development of immersive digital scenography for live theatre (ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿, UK)
• Elizeta Pylioti - Immersive Audio-tactile Listening: Exploring How Vibration and Spatialisation Shape Embodied Musical Perception for Neurodivergent Audiences (ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿, UK)
• Rich Warren - Network Effects: Mapping Short Film Festivals as Creative Catalysts and Career Development Pathways for Emerging Moving Image Artists (ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿, UK)

Teaching specialisms

• Creative technologies production
• Immersive spatial audio theory and practice
• Creative Industries professional practice
• Film theory and practice
• Creative practice research methods