I am a designer, educator and researcher critically exploring the power of design to creatively, collaboratively and sustainably innovate at the complex nexus of social, technological and ecological systems.

I hold a Doctorate of Literature and Philosophy in Development Studies (UJ) and a Master of Technology in Industrial Design (TWR). Originally from South Africa, I worked for 18 years at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), culminating in heading the Department of Industrial Design. In 2021, I moved to Aotearoa, New Zealand, as Head of the new multidisciplinary Design Department in the Faculty of Engineering and Design at the University of Auckland (UoA). I am currently an Associate Professor in the new Service Design Program at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University of Technology (PolyU) School of Design, and an Honorary Associate Professor in Design at UoA.

My professional design practice has included clients in South Africa, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, and my work has been exhibited at New York Fashion Week and Design Indaba. I have curated multiple design exhibitions and was a Non-Executive Director of the Museum of African Design from 2015-17. I was a co-founder and coordinator of the Design Society Development DESIS Lab (UJ) for over 10 years.

My research and teaching focus on creative social and technological innovation by co-designing sustainable products, services and systems with multi-stakeholder collaborators. I am particularly interested in lay design and the role of technology in extending human capabilities. I have undertaken interdisciplinary design research projects focused on: Creativity and Innovation (Social Innovation and Lay Design); Local Futures (Local Making, Appropriate Technology, Urban and Rural Community Development, Urban Agriculture and Food Systems); Medical Device Design; and Pluriversal Design (Development, the Global South, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Decolonisation). I have been funded for teaching and research by organisations including the European Commission, Leverhulme Trust, Research England, DAAD and the National Research Foundation (SA).

For more information and to see some of my work, please visit: www.angusdonaldcampbell.com