Dr Ian Martin Walsh BA, PhD, FRSA

As Dean my duties include overall responsibility for managing the Faculty and developing, delivering and maintaining the Faculty’s academic portfolio and ensuring the Faculty maintains the highest academic standards and delivers an excellent learning experience for the students. I am also Project Director for the Institute for Sustainable Design and Principle Investigator for the Cerebra Innovation Centre.

1990-93                

• Design Engineer.  Sony, Pencoed, Mid Glamorgan
• Periods spent in Barcelona, London Design Centre, Stuttgart and Tokyo.

1988 - 1990        

• Product (Furniture) Designer, Remploy Profile, Neath.  
• The design from concept through to final prototype of                                     
• furniture for a variety of contract environments.

Fellow, Royal Society of Arts

Formerly I was Head of School of Industrial Design and Swansea School of Glass. My current academic interests encompass both undergraduate and post graduate modules, principally in the field of industrial design, innovation practice and design history.

Taught modules in – Product Design Methods, Automotive Design Methods, Innovation Practice, History of Design, Contemporary Issues in Design, Research Methods.

Former Programme Director of BA/BSc Product Design portfolio; MA/MSc Industrial Design Portfolio.

I have supervised over 30 MA & MSc dissertations and major projects. I am currently supervising 3 PhD and 2 MPhil students

Current research interests centre on the development of innovation tools for service development in healthcare. My PhD was titled ‘nurturing innovation in industrial design - quantifying innovation propensity in industrial design by means of a novel innovation trait index’.

Currently supervising three PhD and two MPhil students.

My expertise relates primarily to the field of industrial design and academic management. I have been active in commercial design work, consultancy, academia and delivering ERDF funded knowledge transfer projects for over 25 years.

2011-Date          

Project Director, ISD (Institute for Sustainable Design)

Developed the £4.7m project to provide support to Welsh business in developing sustainable design capacity. The project also included the development of new facilities to support knowledge transfer. The £14m ALEX Design Exchange will open in September 2014 and           provide a platform for knowledge exchange in the field of      innovation and sustainable design to businesses in Wales and beyond.

2010-2011          

Researcher, CIME (Creativity and Innovation in Micro-Enterprises)

2010-2011          

Project Director, DSA (Design for Successful Ageing)

2009-2011          

Partner, GAIM (Graphic Arts in Manufacture)

1994-1996          

Design Consultancy, PDC (Wales) Ltd.

1994-1995          

Design Consultancy, Domino Printing Sciences plc.

2007     

Crocker, R & Walsh, I, (June 2007): “Design Inspired By Biomorphics and Biomimetics”, Crossing Boundaries 2007 Hochschule für Gestaltung, Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany.

2007     

Langdon, R, Bridge, T & Walsh, I, (June 2007): “The Transfer Of Knowledge From Design”, Crossing Boundaries 2007 Hochschule für Gestaltung, Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany.

2005     

Henshall J, & Walsh I M, (Oct 2005): “Conflicts Between Sustainability and Innovation.” Era 05 World Design Congress, Copenhagen, Denmark.

2004     

Walsh I M, (June 2004): “Nurturing An ‘Innovation Mindset’ Amongst Undergraduate Industrial Designers.” Ee2004 International Conference On Innovation, Good Practice And Research In Engineering Education.  Wolverhampton University.

2004     

Walsh I M & Clement R M, (May 2004): “Creating A Culture Of Enterprise Amongst Student Industrial Designers.”  Cumulus, International Conference on Design Processes And Design Education In Entrepreneurship, Oslo School of Architecture, Oslo, Norway.

2004     

Gwilliam P & Walsh I M (May 2004): “The Evolution Of Design: Designers As Entrepreneurs.”  Cumulus, International Conference on Design Processes And Design Education In Entrepreneurship, Olso School of Architecture, Oslo, Norway.

2013-Date            SWW Regional Hub, NISCHR AHRC Committee Member

2013                    Opening Address – Inaugural i-Sustain Conference.

2011-Date            ISD, Institute for Sustainable Design – ERDF funded project in partnership with Cardiff Metropolitan University. - £4.7m project.

2010-2012           CIME – Creativity and Innovation in Micro-Enterprises – Interreg project with Irish institutions in partnership with UWTSD Lampeter.

2010-2012           Project Director, DSA Design for Successful Ageing KEP Partnership with UWIC and University of Glamorgan. - £149k ERDF Grant.

2010-2011           ‘Voices from the Future’ – Beacons for Wales Project – Public Engagement. - £12k grant.

2009-2011           GAIM – Graphic Arts in Manufacture – Partnership with Swansea University and Coleg Sir Gar. - £40k grant.

2008-2012           School Governor, Ysgol Maesydderwen, Ystradgynlais.

2007-Date            Engineering Education Scheme Wales – Assessor.

2005                    ‘Product Development Programme’ – Belron Technical

2005-2006           Welsh Assembly, Department for Education and Life-Long Learning - ‘Celticar’ Created and Organised Organised a pan-Wales, school based, automotive design competition.

2005-Date            Cerebra – Developed links leading to establishment of the Cerebra Innovation Centre.

2005                     McGraw Hill - Reviewed manuscript ‘Exploring Innovation’ by David Smith published in 2006.

2004                     'The Value of Industrial Design – ‘Design Revolutions’ SME Industrial Seminars, Swansea.

2004-2013            Speaker WJEC Innovation Fairs, Llandudno and Cardiff

2004                     ‘Industrial Design –A Strategic Review’, Inset Training, Waterton Technology Centre, Bridgend

2004                     Welsh Joint Education Committee Co-authored GCSE in Product Design

2003 - 2008          Organiser Wales Rally GB Annual Education Conference