Our activities

The main activities of the group include:

Research

We carry out research on a range of sustainability topics, at a national and international level. Our track record includes projects funded by UK Research and Innovation (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Arts and Humanities Research Council and Natural Environment Research Council), Innovate UK, Newton Fund, and the European Commission. Our group pulls together and integrates design, engineering and sustainability expertise, ranging from material science, biomimetics, product design, product-service system design, design for behaviour change, design for social innovation, design for socio-technical transitions, life cycle assessment, business modelling, creativity, codesign and participatory approaches. Our work is carried out with and for users and communities, and a variety of stakeholders including businesses, consultancies, practitioners, governmental and non-governmental organisations and policy makers.

Knowledge transfer and consultancy

We support businesses and other organisations in adopting the latest academic achievements on design for sustainability, and in enabling them to address specific sustainability challenges. We collaborate with them to co-generate knowledge and know-how, and we support them in integrating design for sustainability principles, frameworks and methods into their mind-sets and practices.

Education

We develop teaching & learning strategies on how to integrate design for sustainability contents into UG and PG curricula, and we support the Brunel Design School and other universities in implementing these strategies. We link businesses and other organisations with education by supporting collaborative activities (such as collaborative major projects and dissertations) on sustainability topics (in collaboration with Co-Innovate and DesignPlus programmes - Brunel Design School initiatives).

Dissemination

Our publications and research seminars contribute to the national and international academic debate on the present and future of design for sustainability. We have experience in organising national and international conferences, as well as running workshops and training on design for sustainability topics.

People development

We promote a research culture and environment that support the professional and academic growth and career development of PhD researchers and research fellows, so that they can become future sustainability leaders, in academia, public, private or third sector.