Cole is a researcher, editor and writer. He has worked in Scotland, Germany and the US teaching Histories of Art and Architecture, Art Theory and Cultural Studies. He received his PhD in 2018 from Edinburgh College of Art, The University of Edinburgh which explored the representations of women in Kurt Schwitters' collages, with a particular focus on the women's movements in the first half of the 20th century. He has published, lectured and organised events, symposia and conferences on collage, queer photography, Dada and feminism, as well as reviews of exhibitions and films; and has been invited to chair sessions for Edinburgh Art Festival and Edinburgh International Book Festival on queer art, literature, and film. Cole is the President of the Kurt Schwitters Society and sits on the boards of the Alasdair Gray Archive and the Scottish Working Class Network, and past committee member of the Queer Minds Scotland Network.