Rafael Gomez

Associate Professor Rafael Gomez is an academic at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) within the School of Design, Faculty of Creative Industries, Education & Social Justice. He holds roles including Study Area Coordinator for Industrial Design (2018–2023), Founder and Lead of the BMW Group + QUT Design Academy, and Co-Chair of the AutoUI25 International Conference. His research focuses on mobility futures, wearable technology for Parkinson's disease, and emotional experience frameworks used by industry leaders.

Education: PhD and Master of Applied Science from QUT. Professional memberships include Fellow of the Design Institute of Australia and Founder of the Design and Emotion Society Australia Chapter.

Research interests span future mobility, healthcare design (e.g., non-invasive respiratory devices), and STEM education integration. Key projects include a $3.5M BMW Group collaboration and a $300,000+ project on accessible autonomous vehicles with Queensland Transport.

Awards include the 2024 Good Design Award, 2023 Design Institute Merit, and multiple teaching accolades. He has secured grants like the New Colombo Plan ($330,000) for international study tours.

• Labs/Teams: QUT Design Lab, HEAL Lab (Healthcare Collaboration), BMW Group + QUT Design Academy.
• Grants: Over $3.5M industry partnerships, multiple competitive grants for study tours and research.
• Supervision: PhD/MPhil students in mobility, wearable tech, and design innovation.