\ STAFF
MDIT staff are connected with a community of local and international experts within their research field. They are actively engaged in government funded and industry partnered research projects that feed into the teaching of MDIT Design Studios, Electives and Major Project supervision.
Professor Michael Trudgeon
Michael’s research develops strategies to prototype new technology solutions and new patterns of use that manage the risks of change and innovation. His work responds to issues of climate change which require significant transformation of urban infrastructure, energy and waste systems and living patterns of cities.
Associate Professor Ross McLeod
Ross’s research involves an ongoing study of phenomenological and sensorial approaches to design. This practice examines the cross-modal confluence of the senses, employing the physical and psychological sciences to develop an understanding of the relationship between phenomena, human experience and behavior.
Associate Professor Lawrence Harvey
Lawrence’s research integrates urban soundscape, acoustic design and spatial music composition and performance. As founding director of SIAL Sound Studios, he uses the RMIT Speaker Orchestra to perform concerts and curate exhibitions with musicians and artists, interior, digital and industrial designers, and architects.
Dr Malte Wagenfeld
Malte’s research involves how design can reimagine healthy and climate resilient urban environments for a minus-zero-carbon future. His practice investigates the design of urban and interior climates and atmospheres by exploring experiential encounters with air, breezes, humidity, temperature, sound, light and smell.
Professor Sarah Teasley
Sarah’s research crosses methods and knowledge from social history, the history of technology and design research, with an emphasis on old and new biomaterials/biotech and the impact of implicit and explicit power relations on design outcomes and experience.
Dr. Ollie Cotsaftis
Ollie is a transdisciplinary researcher-practitioner exploring pathways towards regenerative and more-than-human urban futures. His work focuses on unlocking practical and scalable potentials for sustainable urban development, specifically in biomaterials and climate adaptation of the public place.
Dr. Emma Luke
Emma’s research lies at the intersection of industrial design, wearables, immersive experiences and HCI. Her practice explores the encoding of value through data, materiality, aesthetics, and personalisation, to inform the development of artifacts and experiences that foreground human and ecological health and wellbeing.
Jeffrey Hannam
Jeffrey’s research explores a listener centred approach for creative media production and designing sound-based data sonification software tools to support scientific research. His practice encompasses spatial sound design methods and techniques, focusing on a compositional strategy for spatialising sound over multichannel sound systems.
Professor Jules Moloney
Jules’s research engages in critical exploration of how technology affords new insight and opportunities for design and creative practice. His expertise in the spatial design of virtual worlds is enacted through a creative practice in which hybrid physical-digital installations explore intangible natural phenomena.
Dr. Michelle Woulahan
Michelle’s research focuses on tangible interfaces and ubiquitous computing. Her work explores the societal implications of technology, offering critical insights into the ways in which technological advancements shape and redefine human identity and experience.