ABOUT THIS PODCAST

In association with ImaginationLancaster and presented by the Design for Policy and Governance Special Interest Group, the following is a podcast series dedicated to exploring innovation at the crossroads of design, policy & governance, and the built environment. Join host Scott Schmidt with Marzia Mortati and Louise Mullagh as they interview leading design academics and practitioners such as luminaries Rachel Cooper and Christian Bason. Each episode will include a discussion with guests on their career, current projects, and where they see the future of design research heading.

Rachel sits down to discuss her pioneering and always vibrant career. We work through her vast body of work and how she finds the energy to get everything done… there is a lot. Rachel describes her work history and what it was like talking about the intersection of policy and design when no one else was. The early beginnings of ImaginationLancaster and what makes it such a special place in the world of academia and design is discussed. We talk about non-traditional backgrounds moving into the field of design and how the pandemic has brought about rapid change. And we conclude by talking about the future of design research and where it might go from here. We were very excited to have Rachel as our first guest and found the conversation fascinating. Click here to listen. Enjoy!

ABOUT RACHEL COOPER

Rachel Cooper OBE is Distinguished Professor of Design Management and Policy at Lancaster University. She is a Director of ImaginationLancaster, an open and exploratory design-led research centre conducting applied and theoretical research into people, products, places and their interactions, and also Chair of Lancaster institute for the Contemporary Arts. Professor Cooper’s research interests cover: design thinking; design management; design policy; and across all sectors of industry, a specific interest in design for wellbeing and socially responsible design. She has published extensively on these topics, including books ‘Designing Sustainable Cities’, ‘The Handbook of Wellbeing and the Environment’ Living Digital Worlds. She is also series editor of the Routledge series Design for Social Responsibility covering topics such as designing for sustainability, inclusivity, service design, sport, health, transport and policy. She was founding editor of The Design Journal and also founding President of the European Academy of Design. She is currently President of the Design Research Society.