Dr Frances Howard is Associate Professor of Youth Research, at Nottingham Trent University and has been the evaluator for several Nottingham-based Youth Music projects. She has published research on young music-makers, youth work and music-making and arts programmes with at risk youth. Frances’ research monograph: Global Perspectives on Youth Arts Programs: How and Why the Arts Can Make a Difference, was published in 2022.
Dr Brian McShane is Senior Lecturer in Criminology at De Montfort University. Brian’s research focuses on masculinities, violence and preventative responses. Recent research includes evaluation work for Youth Justice Services on non-statutory offers to young people and for Youth Endowment Fund on A&E Navigator services supporting young people at risk of violence. Brian is co-editor of the collection Youth, Transitions and Social Justice: Researching Spaces of Social Action, published in 2025.
Simon Glenister is the founder of Noise Solution, a multiple national award-winning social enterprise established in 2009 that leverages music technology to create social impact. Simon's work is equally informed by a career as a professional musician and his research in digital youth work and well-being, during his MEd at the University of Cambridge.