Dr. Alan Hill
Details
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College: School of Art
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Department: School of Art
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Campus: City Campus Australia
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alan.hill@rmit.edu.au
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ORCID:
0000-0003-3621-4046
Open to
- Masters Research or PhD student supervision
About
Dr Alan Hill is a photographer, educator, and researcher specialising in visual politics, photography education, and socially engaged creative practice. He is currently Curriculum Architecture Lead for Photography at RMIT's School of Art, where he has developed innovative pedagogical frameworks and international partnerships.
With a background spanning professional photography and documentary practice, Alan's research focuses on the civil potential of photography and the development of transdisciplinary approaches to visual storytelling. His work explores how photography can serve as a form of critical solidarity and civic engagement, particularly through cross-cultural collaboration and community-oriented pedagogy.
As Program Manager of the Bachelor of Arts (Photography), he led significant improvements in student outcomes and program quality and received recognition for his teaching innovation and community engagement..
Since 2016, Alan has co-developed 'Doing Visual Politics' with Dr Kelly Hussey-Smith, an international education network connecting academics, students and industry leaders across Australia and South Asia. Through this project, he has secured substantial New Colombo Plan funding, enabling transformative cross-cultural learning experiences. The network explores creative practice as civil action through collaborative workshops and symposiums that challenge conventional approaches to documentary photography education.
His creative work has been exhibited internationally and nationally, including through prestigious artist residencies. Recent research outputs include contributions to publications exploring democracy and creative practice, with work recognised by international cultural leadership forums.
Research fields
- 360604 Photography, video and lens-based practice
Academic positions
- Associate Lecturer
- Griffith University
- Brisbane, Australia
- 1 Jul 2010 – 31 Dec 2014
Non-academic positions
- Photographer
- Australian Sports Commission
- Belconnen, Australia
- 1 Jul 2003 – 1 Jun 2007
Supervisor projects
- Reimagining War and a New Landscape of Conflict
- 10 Feb 2025
- Revisiting Lifeworld: Gaining Affective and Environmental Engagement through Socially Engaged Art between China and Australia
- 21 Feb 2024
Teaching interests
Alan has designed and delivered numerous innovative courses that bridge disciplinary boundaries and foster cross-cultural understanding, including work on unceded lands and international collaborative studios. He teaches photography studio practice, visual politics, documentary methodologies, and interdisciplinary creative practice courses. He is particularly interested in developing pedagogical approaches that centre ethical collaboration, cultural responsibility, and the connective capacity of photography to address contemporary social challenges.
HDR Supervision: Dr Hill supervises PhD and Research Masters candidates in areas including socially engaged photography, documentary practice, and creative methodologies.
Research interests
Dr Hill's research investigates photography as a form of civil practice, transdisciplinary education methodologies, and the ethics of cross-cultural creative collaboration. His work sits at the intersection of visual culture, pedagogy, and political theory, with particular focus on how creative practice can serve as a vehicle for civic engagement and cultural understanding. His collaborative approach connects university research with community needs through creative practice, contributing to both local and international dialogues on visual politics and cultural responsibility.
