Dr Emma Dewberry

Professional biography

I joined the Design Group at the Open University as a Senior Lecturer in Design Ecologies in 2008. Prior to this I had been a Senior Lecturer in Design for Sustainability at Loughborough University (2006-2008), a Lecturer in Design at Cranfield University (2001-2006) and at Goldsmiths College, University of London (1998-2001) and a Research Associate at The Judge Business School, Cambridge University (1996-1998)

I am interested in the capacity of design to create sustainable, regenerative futures. Design and design thinking have the potential to intervene in everyday practices through the actions of curious and creative learners, doers and thinkers. My research explores the scope and value of radical design and design ecologies in creating different journeys and destinations for sustainable living. It aims to understand the nature of design, education and leadership that is required to create these transformations.

Research interests

My research interests include: design ecologies; sustainable design education and ecoliteracy; sustainable innovation; design for sufficiency; regenerative design, cyclical production and consumption; and product, service systems.

I have over 50 publications in the broad area of design for sustainability.

I welcome PhD applications in any of the above areas. I am particularly interested in research ideas that develop the ideas, theory and practice of design ecologies, sustainable transition, regenerative design, design and sufficiency and creative ecoliteracies. Information about full-time and part-time studentships in Design, funded by the AHRC's Open-Oxford-Cambridge Doctoral training Programme (DTP) can be found here

I currently supervise three PhD students and have supervised seven candidates to successful completion. I have examined 22 PhDs in the UK and abroad. 

I was a member of the AHRC Design Leadership Fellowship Advisory Group (2017-2020). I regularly review research proposals and have involved in the Peer Review Colleges of the AHRC and EPSRC. I review papers for a number of key design and sustainability journals. I was Membership Secretary and Council Member of the Design Research Society (2015-2019) and am currently the lead convener of the DRS Sustainability Special Interest Group (2018 -present). I have reviewed and organised tracks on sustainable design for the DRS conferences in 2018, 2020.

I was a member of the OU's REF 2014 panel for the Arts and Design submission (UoA34) responsible for reviewing papers and constructing REF narratives.

Funded Research Projects

Co-Investigator EPSRC/ESRC [EP/M017567/1] RECODE Network Project: Business as Unusual: Designing Products with Consumers in the Loop [April 2016]

Co-Investigator EPSRC [EP/J005657/1] SHOCK (NOT) HORROR: mediating radical transformations in infrastructure provision [2011-2014]

Principal investigator: EPSRC [EP/F013116/1] Exploring eco-literacy and its relevance in realizing far-reaching sustainable innovation [2007-2008]

Principal investigator: EPSRC [GR/S90645/01] Design Dialogues: An exploratory study of design narratives, methodologies and tools towards achieving Factor 10 outcomes [2005-2008].

Teaching interests

I have focused on the area of Design Ecologies in my teaching since completing my PhD in Ecodesign with the Open University in 1996. I have taught widely in this area including writing for, and directing two pioneering courses: the first BA Ecodesign in the UK (Goldsmiths College, University of London 1998-2001); and the first MSc in Design for Sustainability in the UK (Cranfield University, 2001-2006).

At the Open University I am the co-lead for developing a strategic investment case for a new undergraduate design qualification Bachelor of Design (BDes) - Design for People, Places and Planet (2021), and part of the leadership team managing its production (2021-2028). I was part of the production team for the new 1st Stage T190 Design Practices module, co-authoring Project 5 in Service and Systems. I am currently author of Block 5 in the new 2nd Stage T240 Design for Impact module, addressing systems of change. I am also lead for module producton at Stage 3 for the BDes. I steer the development of the new Open Learn Design Hub which supports the visibility of design teaching and research at the Open University

My past OU design teaching responsibilities have included a long period of chairing the third stage design module Innovation: designing for change (T317) (2014-2020). I was part of the production team for this module and sole author of Block 2 and co-author of Block 5 (2011 – 2014). I am  a member of the design qualification team (Q61) which looks across the spectrum of design teaching at the OU and at the strategic opportunities to develop undergraduate and postgraduate design curriculum. I was also part of the module production team of the award winning first stage design module Design Thinking (U101) and subsequently chaired early presentations of this module. I have been a member of, and chaired the exam boards for U101 and T317, and been a design representative on the exam board of The Engineering Project T450. 

I was a project tutor on the Engineering project module, T176, 2022 and 2023. I was the critical reader for the 3rd level environmental management module, T892 (2022)

I was critical reader for the FutureLearn course Climate change - transforming your orgnisation alongside supporting the develpment of the assessment strategy. I chaired the first year presentation of this course and its exam board.

I am the Sustainability Lead for the School of Engineering and Innovation, developing support for the integration of sustainability across teaching and research, both in the school and the wider Faculty and University. I proposed, co-organised and contributed two OU Sustainability Research Festivals in 2023 and 2024. I represented the School of E&I in completing audits and interviews around design for sustainability teaching as part of the SOS-UK Responsible Futures programme. I worked as a consultant academic on the OU-BBC co-production Greta Thunberg - a year to save the world (BBC1, April 2021). More recently I have been an academic consultant on the BBC Radio 4 production, Rare Earth, Series 1-4 (2024-2025). I contribute learning resources to Open Learn to support external programming. I co-created gthe OU's Open Learn's Sustainability Hub , and have also supported OU resources around COP26, contributing an article to the OL's Climate Hub and particpating in a Mock Cop with Scottish Schools organised by OU Scotland. I was one of a small team of acdemics from 4 Nations who produced an Open Create Short Course on Sustainable Pedagogies that launched in 2023 - I authored Chapter 6 of this course, Learning in transition − perspectives and practices.

In terms of post-graduate training I suport the OU's AHRC funded Open-Oxford-Cambridge DTP through reviewing cross university PhD applications for Panel D applications. I was the OU lead and CDT Management Group member for the AHRC funded Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT), Design Star (2014-2023). I have long supported postgraduate students and training, running a series of Design Research Methods workshops for students and staff of the Design Star consortium from 2017-2020. I have held the role of PostGraduate Research tutor in the school of Engineering and Innovation (2017-2020), supporting advertising, applications and examinations.

I am the external examiner for the MA Sustainable Design at Kingston University (Jan 2022- October 2025). Past external examiner roles include: MSc in Energy and Industrial Sustainability at DMU, Leicester;  MA Sustainable Design at Brighton University; and MA Design Futures and Metadesign at Goldsmiths, University of London. 

I have been a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) since 2002 and a Senior Fellow (SFHEA) since 2021. I have been a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA) since 2001.