Historically the School of Design’s PhD programme commenced with a strong focus on digital design technology during the nineties. Since then, the programme has expanded into several directions, including social design, management, media design, universal design, as well as design studies, culminating in a diversity of research work, comprised out of a 50 strong student body of whom mostly conduct research on a part-time basis.
As set out under the initiatives, all PhD research is encouraged to link to the three distinct themes of Social Design, Design Economy and Design Making.
Over and above the mandatory requirements of completing 15 credits coursework, each PhD thesis has to produce an independently authored PhD thesis document as proof of the creation of new knowledge fields within the various domains of enquiry. In order to facilitate [a] research process, [b] independent thinking and [c] critical engagement the School of Design requires each PhD student to participate in biannual seminars organised in the format of a PhD Winter and Summer Schools.
PhD Seminars are doctoral seminars organised by PhD student’s committee and driven by their research interest and progress. Enabled by technology, we can now connect the global community on Zoom from wherever we are. The PhD Seminar Series 2020/21 has provided an unprecedented platform to engaged the following speakers on an interactive form of knowledge sharing and critiques.
Date | Speaker | |
Sep 16, 2020 | Abdumaliq Simone | Design Research and the Social Component |
Oct 7, 2020 | Paulo Favero | Living, Loving and Dying: Reflections on Ethnography, Existence and the Senses |
Nov 4, 2020 | John Thackara | The New Geographies of Innovation: Urban-Rural Reconnection and Relational Design |
Nov 18, 2020 | Terry Irwin | Transition Design: Design for Systems-Level Change |
Jan 21, 2021 | John Wood | A Superset of Supertools |
Feb 24, 2021 | Dominique Lämmli | Practitioner research on working with art in socio-cultural settings |
Mar 17, 2021 | Arturo Escobar | Designing with/in Crisis: Envisioning paths for pluriversal transitions |
Mar 31, 2021 | Lara Penin | Sustainable practices and social innovation |
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