Dr Collins' research sits at the interface between performance, law and heritage. He is particularly interested in the protection of intangible cultural heritage, combatting modern slavery, and Scottish and Ghanaian performance.  

His PhD, awarded by the University of Glasgow in 2015, examined the protection of folklore through copyright in Ghana and his research continues to examine the interaction between folklore, copyright and cultural production, both in Ghana and the UK.

Dr Stephen Collins is Reader in Performance. Prior to joing the University in September 2016, he lectured in Performance at the University of the Highlands and Islands. He also taught on the Theatre Studies and Law undergarduate degrees at the Universty of Glasgow from where he gained a PhD from the School of Law in 2015.

Dr Collins' research is cross-disciplinary and is focussed on various elements of performance history, copyright law, and cultural heritage. 

Dr Collins' research is currently following three strands:

• Scottish theatre
• Ghanaian theatre
• the cultural and legal status of folklore,
• the intresection of modern and historic slavery

Since completing his PhD, Dr Collins has continued to research into the impact and implications of the copyrighting of folklore, and performance traditions in Scotland and Ghana. He has a particular interest in 21st Century Scottish theatre and welcomes collaboration in all its forms.