I am a part-time product design lecturer and joined York St John University in October 2025.
I hold both an MDes Industrial Design and a PhD from the Royal College of Art, with specialist expertise in co-design and design for planet. In 2024, I was elected a Design Council Expert, becoming one of just three product design experts in the Yorkshire and Humber region.
I have over 33 years of experience in higher education, having previously worked at the Royal College of Art, Sheffield Hallam University, and the University of Huddersfield. During my career, I have held a range of academic leadership roles, including Professor of Design, Head of Subject Area, Course Leader, and Module Leader. I have also contributed as a representative on numerous academic boards and management committees, including Department Leadership Teams, College Progression Panels, Professoriate groups, and REF committees.
I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and, since 1992, have taught product design across undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral levels. Creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving are central to my practice, underpinning both my teaching and research. At York St John, my teaching focuses on Level 4 and 5 product design students, helping them develop the professional skills, competencies, and confidence needed to succeed as a young designer.
I am a practice-based design researcher whose work explores the transformative potential of design to address social, economic, and environmental challenges. Since 2012, my research has been grounded in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and guided by a methodology that prioritises people, place, and planet.
I have contributed to two cycles of the UK Research Excellence Framework (2014 and 2021) and, as a former Professor of Design, have held senior research leadership roles including Unit of Assessment 32 Coordinator, Department Lead for Research & Innovation, and Acting Head of the Art, Design & Media Research Centre.
Working across the product–service–strategy continuum, I co-design frugal innovations in collaboration with humanitarian and non-profit organisations including War Child Holland, UNICEF, and St. John Zambia. This work has resulted in a range of award-winning projects, from Life-Saving Lullabies to healthcare and educational tools, all rooted in sustainable, cultural, and ethical practice. My designed products are used as case studies by the NHS and UNHCR and are held in the permanent collections of the London Design Museum, the London Science Museum, and the Young V&A.
I am a Design Council Expert and contribute to its Skills for Planet mission.
The breadth, depth, and currency of my subject expertise have led to regular invitations to participate in external policy panels, roundtables, and workshops, where I provide thought leadership on issues of strategic importance to the UK. My contributions focus in particular on net-zero innovation, green skills, and addressing the decline in the design and technology education pipeline.
Notable invitations include a 2024 in-person workshop hosted by the RSA and the Creative Industries Policy Centre, exploring the role of innovation in developing a Northern Creative Corridor “supercluster.” In 2023 and 2024, I participated in the Design Council’s Design for Net Zero Innovation Leaders’ Forum, helping to shape its Spring 2024 policy briefing, which sought to mobilise design for the green economy through the development of regional net-zero innovation hubs for a future pilot study.
