Vesna Popovic

Australia

Professor in Industrial design at the Queensland University of Technology and founder of the Industrial Design infrastructure in Brisbane, Queensland

Vesna Popovic, has worked as an industrial design research consultant and was involved in international studies conducted by ICSID (International Council of Societies of Industrial Design), UNDRO (United Nation Disaster Relief Organisation) and The League of Red Cross Societies. She was UNIDO Expert for Developing Countries. She has a number of realised designs and some of them received significant awards (19 Awards). She is the recipient of 6th Asian Design Research Congress (6ADC) Excellent Paper Award, 2003 (Japan). In 2006 Vesna has been awarded Fellow of the Design Research Society, UK for her contribution to Design Research. This peers’ recognition has acknowledged her research contribution and its international impact.

Vesna’s research interests are in the areas of: design (product design), interactivity and useability, research in design thinking and knowledge; human–centred design research. She has been the founder of the People and Systems Laboratory at the Faculty of the Built Environment and Engineering, QUT. Most of the research conducted has been published in refereed publications and conference proceedings. The significance of Vesna’s research and scholarship in design is demonstrated by their citations (195) and by significant invitations to publish and to give presentations at the conferences worldwide. Her significant contribution to design research is based on a successful integration of the design research agenda with diverse disciplines such as medicine, science, engineering, humanities and information technologies. This cross-disciplinary collaboration brought in a new dimension and enhancement or changes in their practices (e.g. medical science or information technologies).

She is a Fellow of the Design Institute of Australia and Fellow of the Design Research Society (UK), Member of Human Factors Society (USA), Ergonomic Society of Australia and Design Research Society (UK). She was the Executive Member of the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID), Education Chair 1997 – 2001 and South Pacific –South East Asia ICSID Region Portfolio Leader (1997-2001). Since 2001 she has been an ICSID adviser.