Carolina Escobar-Tello

Dr Carolina Escobar-Tello is a Senior Lecturer and Postgraduate Year Tutor in the Design School at Loughborough University, part of the School of Design and Creative Arts. She holds a PhD in 'Design for Happiness' from Loughborough University (2010) and has professional experience across government and industry, including DEFRA and UNICEF. Her research focuses on sustainability, happiness, and wellbeing, with a particular emphasis on social innovation and systemic approaches to design.

Education: MSc Sustainable Product Design (Distinction, Bournemouth University), BA (Hons) Industrial Design (Universidad de Los Andes, Colombia). She co-leads the Design Research Society’s Sustainability Special Interest Group (SustainabilitySIG) and founded Riant by Design, a company promoting sustainable and happier lifestyles through design frameworks. In 2013, she won the HE Social Entrepreneurship Award for her 'Design for Happiness' toolkit.

Her work bridges academia and industry, emphasizing participatory methods and cultural contexts in design. Research areas include decolonial design, healthcare systems, art therapy techniques for wellbeing, and service design for marginalized communities. She currently supervises four PhD students exploring sustainable societies and social innovation.

• Grants & Projects: Funded research on textile artisan communities, healthcare systems, and cultural contexts in service design.
• Labs/Teams: Co-leads SustainabilitySIG; collaborates with Riant by Design.