Sam Ellis is Associate Head of the Bachelor of Music (BMus) degree programme, working closely with School of Music staff in the delivery of the undergraduate curriculum. He teaches in a broad range of core and elective subject areas, supports wellbeing across the whole student journey, and plays a key role in ensuring the continued academic and professional relevance of the BMus.

Sam gained a first-class BA (Hons) in music, and an MPhil on chamber music in interwar Britain, both from the University of Wales, Bangor. He then undertook AHRC-funded doctoral research on the music of Arthur Bliss. He lectured in music at Bangor for eight years, latterly serving as an advisor in arts pedagogy for the Higher Education Academy.

Before joining the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2019, Sam was a senior lecturer for six years at Glasgow Caledonian University, specialising in professional learning and the pursuit of expert practice. He is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Sam has served as an external examiner at Ulster University. His work on football chanting received a Routledge Best Paper award at the International Football History Conference in 2023. Sam is the School of Music rep for the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS).