Find a Design supervisor
Design academic staff have a wealth of experience and expertise in their research.
Aaron Fry
Aaron is currently programme director of the Master of Design, his research interests are in: design cognition research–design thinking, creativity research and engagement with problem solving in complex contexts and systems, examples include, financial literacy, and the affects of biophilic design on products, services and experiences in health and wellness contexts.
Research areas
- Design cognition and creativity research
- Psychological and psycho-social effects of design in clinical and care environments
- Socio-technical systems research
- Qualitative research methods with emphasis on design ethnography
- Design approaches to financial products, services and systems
Dr Allan Fowler
Allan’s research interests are in game development, and understanding the user experience. He has also undertaken considerable work in increasing the representation of minorities in STEM.
Research areas
- Game design and development
- Augmented and virtual reality
- User experience
- Human-computer interaction
- Increasing underrepresented minorities' participation in STEM
- Game jams and hackathons for teaching and learning
Dr Diana Albarrán González
Dr Diana Albarran Gonzalez is a design researcher, educator and craftivist, currently the Programme Director of the PhD in Design. Her research explores design and different ways of collaboration from decolonial, intersectional and pluriversal perspectives, interested in collective well-being, Indigenous knowledge, crafts-design-arts, textiles, embodiment, and creativity. With over 18 years of international experience, she integrates a meaningful sense of cultural awareness and sensitivity in different contexts, bringing a diversity, equity and inclusion lens to design teaching and practice.
Research areas
- Decolonising design-craft-art
- Pluriversal design
- Indigenous knowledge(s)
- Social change and social innovation
- Design research methods
- Design for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)
- Embodied sense-making, industrial and textile design
Dr Juhri Selamet
Dr Juhri Selamet is a design researcher, scholar, and educator whose research sits at the intersection of design, health, and communities. His work explores how design can engage local communities as active contributors to health and wellbeing, with particular interests in Indigenous and local knowledge, participatory and human-centred design, and culturally grounded approaches to design research.
His research draws on co-design, storytelling, and design ethnography to understand lived experiences and develop inclusive, context-sensitive approaches to complex health and societal challenges.
Research areas
- Design for health and wellbeing
- Social design and service design
- Participatory and human-centred design
- Indigenous and local knowledge
- Design ethnography and co-design
- Visual communication and health communication
- Community-centred design and social innovation
Dr Ziyu Zhou
Dr Ziyu Zhou Brueck a industrial designer, researcher, and educator working at the intersection of material innovation, sustainability, and design education.
Her work focuses on material-driven design methods and how interdisciplinary engagement with materials can generate new knowledge, shape material cultures, and foster sustainable design practices.
Research areas
- Material-Driven Design;
- Materials Experience;
- Material Selection;
- Tinkering;
- DIY Materials;
- Informed Materials;
- Form-Giving / Form Generation;
- Material Education in Design;
- Materials for Sustainability;
- Speculative Materials.