Liam Fennessy

Dr. Liam Fennessy serves as Associate Dean, Learning & Teaching at the School of Design, RMIT University, Australia. He maintains an active research profile with ORCID identifier 0009-0008-2890-2766 and is actively engaged in both teaching and research within the industrial design field.

His research interests span multiple domains:

• Industrial Design and Product Design
• Design for Sustainability and Circular Economy
• Design for Health and Well-being
• Social Design and Community Engagement
• Design Pedagogy and Education
• Design History and Theory

Fennessy's work contributes significantly to several UN Sustainable Development Goals including Sustainable Cities and Communities (Goal 11), Responsible Consumption and Production (Goal 12), Climate Action (Goal 13), Life on Land (Goal 15), Good Health and Well-being (Goal 3), Clean Water and Sanitation (Goal 6), and Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure (Goal 9).

His scholarly output demonstrates a clear progression toward addressing environmental challenges through design thinking, with recent work focusing on circular design strategies, sustainable material innovation, and decolonizing design practices. The research shows strong interdisciplinary connections between design, environmental science, and social innovation.

• Recent publications address glass waste valorization, mycelium biocomposites, and circular design strategies
• Projects integrate ecological thinking with design practice to address urban challenges
• Work explores the intersection of technology, health, and sustainable behavior change

Fennessy is actively involved in research supervision with projects spanning plastic waste valorization, carbon monoxide safety devices, sustainable fashion, and health innovation. His teaching focuses on industrial design practice and Product-service System Design for biodiversity conservation, sustainability behavior change, health innovation, and design-led manufacturing.