Professor Vanja Garaj
Professor of Design
Michael Sterling 151
- Email: vanja.garaj@brunel.ac.uk
- Tel: +44 (0)1895 266964
Summary
Professor Vanja Garaj is Professor of Design, Director of Research for Brunel Design School and Module Leader for DM5544 Design Innovation Futures (MSc Integrated Product Design, MA Design Strategy and Innovation and MSc Sustainability, Entrepreneurship and Design) and DM5545 Design and Branding Futures (MA Design and Branding Strategy) modules.
Vanja was previously Head of Department of Design (2018–2021) and Director of Postgraduate Research for Design. Before joining Brunel Design in 2017, he was Programme Director for MSc Digital Design and Branding in Digital Media Subject Area, Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering (ECE) at Brunel, leading a range of modules on digital design at postgraduate and undergraduate levels—covering product, service and graphic design aspects.
His teaching promotes goal-oriented experimentation, while emphasising the importance of carefully managed human-centred design process and practice-based approach in collaboration with industry. He co-ordinated a number of live student briefs, across design fields, with organisations including Cancer Research UK, NHS, Pan Macmillan, Help for Heroes, Friends of the Elderly, Corney & Barrow, Shell, Ibis and BT.
Vanja's research spans the areas of Inclusive Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), User Experience (UX) and Human Factors. He has been Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on a number of research and innovation projects funded by Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), Innovate UK, Research England, Arts Council England and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)/Greater London Authority (GLA).
He was awarded at Red Dot Design Award, Design Week Awards, D&AD Awards, Seoul Design Award, The Webby Awards and West London Business Awards.
Qualifications
PhD in Systems Engineering (Human Factors), Brunel University London
PgCert in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, Brunel University London
BSc/MDes in Product Design, University of Zagreb, Croatia
Responsibility
Head of Brunel Digital Design Lab
Project Leader for Co-Innovate: Brunel Co-Innovate Journeys and Bridging the Gap
Newest selected publications
Kwon, H., Choi, Y., Zhao, X., Min, H., Wang, W., Garaj, V. and et al. (2024) 'How immersive and interactive technologies affect the user experience and cultural exchange in the museum and gallery sector'. International Journal of the Inclusive Museum (IJIM), 18 (1). pp. 1 - 26. ISSN: 1835-2014 Open Access Link
Shen, J., Yin, M., Wang, W., Hua, M., Choi, Y., Garaj, V., et al. (2024) 'Dwells in museum: The restorative potential of augmented reality'. Telematics and Informatics Reports, 14. pp. 1 - 10. ISSN: 2772-5030 Open Access Link
Aljaafreh, A., Garaj, V. and Choi, Y. (2023) 'Using a digital participatory approach to facilitate inclusivity in Jordanian heritage sites: Stakeholders’ requirements and a proposed system'. Architecture Papers of the Faculty of Architecture and Design STU, 28 (3). pp. 3 - 9.Open Access Link
Dudley, J., Yin, L., Garaj, V. and Kristensson, PO. (2023) 'Inclusive Immersion: a review of efforts to improve accessibility in virtual reality, augmented reality and the metaverse'. Virtual Reality, 27 (4). pp. 2989 - 3020. ISSN: 1359-4338 Open Access Link
Bodini, A., Manohar, A., Colecchia, F., Harrison, D. and Garaj, V. (2023) 'Envisioning the future of virtual production in filmmaking: A remote co-design study'. Multimedia Tools and Applications, 83 (7). pp. 19015 - 19039. ISSN: 0942-4962 Open Access Link