Peter Childs

Professor Peter Childs is the Professorial Lead in Design Engineering at Imperial College London and Professor at Large in Innovation Design Engineering (Imperial College London and Royal College of Art). He founded the Dyson School of Design Engineering, growing it into a community of over 900 students and staff. His research focuses on creativity, innovation, design, energy sustainability, and robotics. He holds editorial roles at the Journal of Design for Augmented Humanity and Telematics and Informatics Reports, among others.

Education:

• DPhil, University of Sussex (1987–1991)
• BSc, University of Sussex (1984–1987)

Research Interests: His work spans mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, design practice, interdisciplinary engineering, manufacturing, and urban design models. He explores the intersection of neurosciences with design innovation and sustainability.

Affiliations: Agri Futures Lab, Energy Futures Lab, Grantham Institute, Institute of Chemical Biology, Leverhulme Centre for Cellular Bionics, and others. He also serves as Honorary Professor at Guangdong University of Technology and Professor of Excellence at MD-H, Germany.

Professional Contributions: Founded Q-Bot Ltd and BladeBUG Ltd. Previously directed the Rolls-Royce supported Aero-Thermal Systems UTC and InQbate at the University of Sussex.

Awards:

• ICoD Lifetime Achievement Award (2024)
• ICONNN Design Science Award (2025)

Labs/Teams: Active in Energy Futures Lab, Robotics Forum, and fabriCELL BIO initiatives.