School of Social and Political Science

Dr Dan Castro

Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Play)

Image of Dan Castro smiling in front of a brightly coloured abstract artistic background
dcastro@ed.ac.uk
Castro&Friends
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dancastroanimation/
2.81
OSH

Research interests

Culture Methods Play and playfulness

My research explores play and playfulness in adults, with a particular focus on their impact on creative practice. My PhD thesis redefined the concept of 'plork' - the cultivation of, and conscious engagement with, a playful attitude in service of tangible outputs (e.g. creative work) - arguing that playfulness is something we often taken for granted, but something that requires conscious, personal practice. I have a particular interest in practice-research methodologies, and use auto-ethnographic and arts-based research methods to study and explore the experience of playfulness, as well as using play as a methodology in itself. 

I am currently working on the Medicine Without Doctors project, helping to research and design a toolkit that supports playful, interdisciplinary research. This project is funded by the Wellcome Trust. 

I am a member of Animation Research Network Scotland, based at the University of Edinburgh, the Society for Animation Studies, and the Playful Learning Association. 

Background

I have been a professional designer, animator and educator since 2010, working across a range of commercial industries including advertising and video games. My award-winning animation work (www.castroandfriends.co.uk) has been screened at festival across the globe, and in 2025 I held my first public exhibition Whatever Happens, Happens.

I have an MA in Animation from the Royal College of Art, and in 2025 I earned a PhD in Design from the University of Edinburgh in 2025. My practice-based thesis What the Plork: Playfulness at Work and the Work of Playfulness in Contemporary Independent Animated Film-making generated numerous creative and written outputs, including my research blog www.plork.fun. 

Works within

Publications by user content

Publication Research Explorer link
Castro D. Finding Play Castro & Friends. 2024.
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Castro D. UPUP 2023.
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Castro D. Hello, How is Everyone? The importance of checking in. 2023.
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Castro D. Are we having fun yet? Plork, playfulness and their pedagogical potential 2023.
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Castro D. What the Plork?. 2023. Poster session presented at Edinburgh College of Art PhD Showcase 2023.
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Castro D. Are We Having Fun Yet? Creative plork, practice and pedagogy. 2023. Paper presented at University of Edinburgh Learning and Teaching Conference 2023, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
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Castro D. Pressing Play: towards a playful framework for animated short film-making. 2023. Paper presented at Society for Animation Studies Annual Conference.
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Dan Castro's Research Explorer profile