Phillip Gough

Phillip Gough is a Senior Lecturer in Design at The University of Sydney, where he serves as Program Director of the Biodesign Major. He is affiliated with the School of Life and Environmental Sciences and the Discipline of Design, working within the Affective Interactions Lab. Gough is also a member of the Charles Perkins Centre and teaches across both the Design Lab and School of Life and Environmental Sciences.

Dr. Gough's research focuses on biodesign (design-driven biology) and creativity-led data visualization. His work explores how design methods can solve problems defined by user needs through cutting-edge medical science research. He investigates how artists and designers create data visualizations, their methods, and how creative activities contribute to science education. His research is highly interdisciplinary, bridging design, biology, and human-computer interaction.

His recent publications reveal a strong trend toward biodesign, mycelium-based materials, and ethical considerations in human-computer interaction. Gough's work increasingly focuses on sustainable materials, particularly mycelium composites, and their applications in design and architecture. His research also examines how virtual reality and creative coding can enhance educational experiences in biomedical sciences.

Scientific Awards:

• University of Sydney Strategic Education Grant 2024
• 2018 Vice Chancellor's Awards for Excellence, Outstanding Educational Engagement and Innovation for The Living Data Project

Gough actively mentors graduate students, currently supervising research on mycelium-based materials in HCI, myco-wearable devices for emotional health, and ethical tensions in design education. His grant history includes the 2019 project 'Embedding and Assessing Ethics: a School-wide Initiative' with colleagues Hepburn, Ahmadpour, Tomitsch, Loke, and Jones.

Based at the Wilkinson Building at Westmead, Gough works within the Affective Interactions Lab and collaborates with the Charles Perkins Centre. His research team focuses on creating new learning activities that develop science students' digital literacy into digital fluency through design methods, creative coding, and multimedia production.