Mark Ian Jones

Dr. Mark Ian Jones is a design historian and chartered architect affiliated with the School of Art and Design at the University of New South Wales. He has held key academic leadership roles, including UNSW NEXUS Fellow (2024-25), Faculty Director Education Innovation (2021), and Deputy Head of School (Design) (2017-21). His work focuses on transnational design histories, particularly Swedish-Australian cultural exchange, and challenges exclusionary narratives in Nordic design.

• Research Focus: Swedish and Australian design intersections, design diplomacy, mid-20th-century modernism, and systemic curriculum innovation.
• Teaching: Convenor of core Design History and Theory courses in UNSW’s Bachelor and Master of Design programs.

Research Projects include Design Diplomacy at David Jones, examining post-war Australian department store exhibitions as agents of international design diffusion, and re-evaluating Nordic-Australian design relations (1945-75).

Key Scientific Awards

• 2024 UNSW Nexus Achievement Award
• 2024 UNSW Innovation Incubator Future Impact Award
• 2022 MAAS Powerhouse Museum Visiting Research Fellow

His architectural practice, Jones Architecture (founded 1995), has completed over AUD $40M in projects, including collaborations with Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney.