Design PhD

The PhD in Design is for students with prior advanced knowledge of and qualifications in a design discipline who want to pursue a rigorous, in-depth study of a specific topic under specialist supervisory guidance.<br/><br/>We welcome prospective students with a strong idea of what they want to research and how they will carry it out. <br/><br/>A willingness to engage with primary-source material and existing literature in the field are essential attributes in those wishing to undertake this programme.<br/><br/>Your aim will be to make an original and substantial contribution to knowledge in the chosen area of study.<br/><br/>Undertaking an MPhil or PhD in Design offers you the opportunity to become part of a dynamic and varied research community. We have students engaged in a wide range of research projects covering, deepening and extending the disciplines that make up the School of Design.<br/><br/>We specialise in areas including (but not limited to): <br/><br/><br/>- animation practice and theory<br/><br/><br/>- illustration<br/><br/><br/>- place, body and environment<br/><br/><br/>- design, craft and digital technologies<br/><br/><br/>- immersive technologies, interaction and gaming<br/><br/><br/>- materiality and making<br/><br/><br/>- design informatics and computational craft<br/><br/><br/>- design anthropology, history and theory<br/><br/><br/>- film theory and practice<br/><br/><br/>- design for healthcare and wellbeing<br/><br/><br/>- design for change (transition and transformation)<br/><br/><br/>- cultural and heritage studies<br/><br/><br/>- sustainability and the circular economy<br/><br/><br/>- participatory and co-design approaches<br/><br/><br/>We encourage you to explore both discipline-specific areas, and interdisciplinary programmes of research. As such, you may be supervised by a range of academic staff from across design and beyond.<br/><br/>We welcome both practice and research led approaches to research. The first offers you the opportunity to work through and submit a practical portfolio and textual output, while the standard approach requires a fully text-based output.