My research focus is currently investigating the role of bio-inspiration in the field of design and the effects that it has on the end user. To help me gain an understanding of how people relate to this concept, I have developed a specific project for my PhD in the area of climbing and in particular the climbing shoe. I have started this process by investigating the role of climbing animals and how their foot morphology aids this process. The aspiration for this research project is to propose a design methodology that could be used within the climbing shoe market to enhance consumer comfort.

My future as a Designer and educator sees my research, practice and teaching start to inform one another. I aim to push the boundaries of bio-inspiration in products and investigate how and why the consumer immerses themselves in the concept of nature and if our products can evolve with this in mind. This is creating an exciting opportunity for designers to be able to integrate this into their products and improve them through this process.

Why do I teach?

I teach because it is something that I am extremely passionate about and I believe that we can influence the next generation with our ideas and help them to develop these ideas and question them. In my case, it is design where I have been privileged to gain sufficient industrial experience of this area and it is my intent to use this experience to inform the next generation of designers.

I have managed to gain experience of teaching at levels 2,3,4,5,6 & 7 in engineering and design based disciplines and as such I have been able to effectively modify my approach depending on the level of student and this experience I feel makes me a strong advocate for bring the best out of people irrespective of their personal circumstances.

Given my teaching experience, I try to employ best practice in the delivery of new ideas to those who are willing to listen. If I make one design student more capable and confident in what they are doing then I feel I have achieved something.

How I’ll teach you

I will apply the principles of teaching and learning to a design environment. Initially posing a question about a given topic. We will explore various learning methods to work our way through the problem and arrive at a conclusion. These include lecture-based questions, tutorial questions that require further investigation, interactive quizzes and practical based problems to see if you have understood the topic area.

I will also invite you to demonstrate your understanding of the topics through presentations, critiques and assessments of various types.

I will then use varying methods to extract the information from you and with each topic there will be a plenary where you can feedback on the subject and give your opinion.

I will always expect the very best from every student and in turn will give my very best.

Subject areas

Product Design & Design Engineering

I have published one paper on my research area and attend one international conference as well as three national conferences in the field of Sports Engineering. 

My paper titled ‘Investigating Foot Morphology in Rock Climbing Mammals:
Inspiration for Biomimetic Climbing Shoes’.