Eric is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the Manchester Institute of Education (MIE) and Manchester Urban Institute (MUI) at the University of Manchester. Working in the emerging field of Critical University Studies, his work draws on processual and civic approaches to social knowledge and practices to make new connections between the disciplines of sociology, education, and creative placemaking. His doctoral research at Cambridge explored the history of the social and legal sciences during the late 19th century transfer of university models from Germany to America. He is currently developing a regeneration project in a Grade II listed Victorian Arcade in Southport called the Engine Room.