Qian Sun

Qian Sun is a Reader in Service Design, Policy, and Social Innovation at the Royal College of Art (RCA), serving as Head of the Service Design Programme since 2024. She joined RCA in 2013 as a Senior Tutor and has significantly contributed to the growth and international reputation of the programme. Her academic roles include supervising PhD students and serving on scientific committees for conferences and funding bodies.

Her research focuses on Service Design, Design Thinking, and Design Policy, addressing societal challenges in health, community, and sustainability. Notable projects include the £180K AHRC-funded 'Connecting Roots' initiative (2022–2023) and the £400K 'Nature’s Way' project (2020–2022), which explored nature-based solutions for public health post-COVID-19. She also led the EU-funded BEGIN project (2016–2020), advancing blue-green infrastructure through social innovation.

Qian actively collaborates with international institutions like Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Tsinghua University. She is a member of the AHRC Review College and an external examiner for multiple universities. Her work emphasizes transdisciplinary collaboration, policy research, and scaling green social prescribing networks.