Rachel Holmes is Professor of Cultural Studies of Childhood at Manchester Metropolitan University. Her research interests focus on interdisciplinary practice-based research, particularly methodologies of artistic research in formal and informal educational contexts. Her current projects include Things of the Least (AHRC, 2023 – 26) with partners from Manchester Art Gallery, Birmingham City University and Sure Start; Odd: feeling different in the world of education (AHEC, 2018 – 2021); and Towards Toddlerhood (AHRC, 2025 – 2026).