معرفی
Dr Richard Firth is Associate Professor in the School of Arts and Creative Industries at Edinburgh Napier University, where he has led the Product Design programme since 2008. A designer and educator with 25 years of professional practice, he bridges academic research, creative practice, and international collaboration to advance design education and inclusive innovation.
Education & Professional Formation: Richard holds a BDes (Hons) and the SFHEA (Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy) recognition. He is currently preparing a PhD by Published Works focusing on ‘Work on the move: mobilities of creativity and design ideation’.
Research Interests:
- Inclusive Design & Neurodiversity: applies design thinking to support individuals with dyslexia, synaesthesia and autism spectrum conditions.
- STEAM & Interdisciplinary Co-design: develops Science-Technology-Engineering-Arts-Mathematics collaborations for public-health communication, notably HPV-vaccine awareness and immunisation advocacy.
- Heritage & Exhibition Design: uses digital projection, augmented reality and interpretive design to enhance visitor engagement with historic sites such as Elgin Cathedral.
- Craft & Digital Integration: advocates for the synthesis of hand drawing, model-making and emerging digital technologies within contemporary design pedagogy.
- International Design Mobility: leads the ‘Carousel’ short-term exchange network and the ‘Work on the Move’ research workshop with partners in Australia, China, Europe and Scandinavia.
Research Output Trends: Richard’s recent scholarship demonstrates a clear trajectory from early critiques of CAD-driven education toward large-scale, socially-engaged STEAM projects. A cluster of 2022-2024 publications and presentations uses co-design and playful learning to democratise vaccination decision-making, evidencing a shift from studio-based pedagogy to trans-disciplinary public-impact research.
Awards & Esteem:
- Edinburgh Napier University NSA Most Inspiring Tutor Award – May 2015
- External examiner for UK and overseas higher-education product-design programmes
- Visiting lecturer in China (since 2008), Norway (since 2009) and the Netherlands (since 2012)
Grants & Projects:
- Elgin Cathedral Project – £86,219 (Historic Environment Scotland, 2011-2021)
- Further Development of the Visual Aspects of a Computer Game – £39,895 (Scottish Funding Council, 2012-2014)
- Visual Re-interpretation of Game for Relaunch, Blazing Griffin – £4,758 (Scottish Funding Council, 2012)
Laboratories & Teams: Richard directs activities within the Art and Design Research Centre and convenes the international ‘Work on the Move’ collective—a roaming research workshop that experiments with new design-innovation methodologies across global sites.
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