Accepting PhD Students

PhD projects

Project Title: Design-Driven Innovation Project Outline: When an innovation is inspired by design, it transcends technology and utility. Human centred design, brings innovation by seamlessly integrating the physical object, a service, and its use into something whole. A design-driven innovation is so simple that it becomes an extension of the user, creating meaning and a new language. This area of research takes a unique look at the intersection between design and innovation, and explores the novel ways in which designers are contributing to the development of products and services from the comprehension of subtle and unspoken dynamics in socio-cultural models. The research will cover multiple sectors across different disciplines and is likely to focus on new product development, breakthrough innovation and disruptive innovation. Project Title: Designing for Sustainability/ Design for sustainable change/Circular economy / Design Thinking Project Outline: Design thinking is increasingly being used to address the biggest challenges society is currently facing: as such design can be a powerful driver for sustainable change. This research is likely to involve multiple case studies across different disciplines and in particular examine aspects of sustainability and innovation in new product development. In this research candidates are expected to approach sustainability issues and offer a radically new set of strategies to attain sustainability by challenging conventional ways of defining, designing and producing functional objects, materials and services.