Civic and Social Design Research Group

Dr Yaron Meron

is a researcher and lecturer in design at the University of Sydney’s School of Architecture, Design and Planning. His work focuses on graphic and communication design as interdisciplinary practices, with particular attention to critical and socially engaged design. He explores how artificial intelligence influences design practice and education, highlighting design’s role in civic engagement and ethical reflection. Drawing on international industry experience in communications, publishing, education, and the voluntary sector, he examines designer–stakeholder dynamics and the complexities of collaboration in design. In 2023, he co-organised the Responsible Design Thinking Symposium, fostering dialogue between academia and industry on socially responsible design.

Dr Enya Moore

is a lecturer in design whose research and writing focus on the role of design and cultural festivals within broader social, political, and economic contexts. After completing her PhD at the University of Technology Sydney in 2022, where she critically analyzed design events and their relationship to public spaces and civic engagement, she joined Technological University Dublin as a postdoctoral researcher. There, she contributed to the Irish Research Council-funded project ‘Festivals, Audiences, and Digital Experience’, examining the digitization of arts festivals in rural Ireland and the impact of digital infrastructure on festival-making practices.

Professor Heather A. Horst

is Professor of Design Anthropology. Her research includes studies of migration and the material culture of home; informal learning environments in homes, after-school programs and online environments; the movement of money across space and time; the production and consumption of mobile technologies; and, most recently, clothing and fashion.

Dr Jody Watts

is an Associate Lecturer in Design (Education Focused) and Horizon Educator at the School of Architecture, Design and Planning, with expertise in Human Computer Interaction (HCI). I hold a PhD in Design (HCI) from the University of Wollongong (Australia), a BCA (Design/Hons) from the University of Wollongong (Australia) and a BAVA (Painting) from the University of Newcastle (Australia). My research examines human, nonhuman and more-than-human agents, and their agency, as active participants in design practice and education.

Associate Professor Leigh-Anne Hepburn

is Head of Design at Sydney School of Architecture, Design, and Planning and serves as Deputy Director (Design) at Sydney Policy Lab. A specialist in co-design and systems thinking, her research explores collaborative and participatory approaches at the intersection of industry, academia, and community. Her work addresses complex societal challenges in health, community resilience, and policymaking, engaging diverse stakeholders—from marginalised communities to policymakers—to co-design meaningful and transformative change.

Dr Luke Hespanhol

is a Senior Lecturer in Design at The University of Sydney, Director of the Master of Interaction Design and Electronic Arts, a member of the University’s Academic Board, and a Fellow of the Social Impact Hub, Australia. Luke holds a PhD in Design, a Graduate Certificate in Education, and a Master in Interaction Design and Electronic Arts at The University of Sydney, a Master in Cross-Disciplinary Art and Design at UNSW, a Bachelor in Computer Science at the University of São Paulo, and a Certificate in Negotiation and Dispute Resolution at Harvard University. Luke’s practice investigates the intersection of people, culture, and technology. That includes a range of theoretical and practical angles like Design interventions for and with vulnerable groups, such as First Nations peoples, refugees, and people in prison. It also includes the mediation of cities and culture through digital technologies, across the fields of media architecture, digital storytelling, social and cross-cultural interactions, placemaking, urban informatics, and smart cities. Luke has advanced discussion on these fields through numerous engagements with government, industry, museums, and academic institutions worldwide.

Dr Nina Hansopaheluwakan Edward 

is an Associate Professor in Design at the University of Sydney, Australia. She currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Information Design Journal (IDJ) and as an External Examiner for the BA (Hons) Digital Mediaprogram at Coventry University (UK), overseeing academic standards across its campuses in the UK, Egypt, Singapore, and Malaysia. Her research interests focus on digital interactive design, semiotics, design education, human-centered design, and interdisciplinary studies.
Current project: Exploring how systemic barriers and inclusivity gaps affect disabled individuals’ access to education, employment, and social participation in Indonesia. Through interdisciplinary collaboration and partnerships with therapists, families, community advocates, and government bodies, the project team aims to co-design inclusive strategies that address these challenges and foster long-term accessibility and equity across policy, education, and community development.

Dr Rodrigo Hernández Ramírez

is a Senior Lecturer in Design at the Sydney School of Architecture, Design and Planning, University of Sydney. His research stands at the intersection of philosophy of technology and Human-Computer Interaction. Previously, he served as the Head of Design at IADE – Faculty of Design, Technology and Communication, Universidade Europeia, where he also directed various graduate and undergraduate programs. His research interests are the following:

• Human-Computer Interaction (with a focus on the ethical, social, and cultural implications of emerging technologies and automation, particularly AI, and aesthetics of interaction)
• Design methods and practice (with a focus on philosophy of design, design education, and the social impact of design)
• Design Fiction (with a focus on how narrative and prototyping can be used to investigate how people adopt, discard, and reappropriate emerging technologies)

Dr Rohan Lulham

is passionate about the role of design methods and artifacts in creating social change, social justice and growth – particularly with regard to transforming the criminal justice system. This includes developing theory and knowledge about how affective processes relate to creativity and the experience of designed artefacts and spaces. Rohan has led and collaborated on large design research projects in justice, mental health and business contexts, as well as conducting more specific empirical studies on affect and design.