Research Team
Jeremy Myerson
Principal Investigator
Jeremy Myerson is Director of the Helen Hamlyn Centre and Professor of Design Studies at the Royal College of Art, where he also leads InnovationRCA, the innovation network for business. A graduate of Hull University and RCA, he began his working life as an arts journalist and from 1986-89, he was Founding Editor of Design Week, the world's first weekly news magazine for designers and their clients. His research focus is on the study of professional design practice in relation to social and technological change. In recent years he has focused this interest on the design of the office environment, writing a trilogy of books on the subject with technologist Philip Ross, the latest of which, Space To Work, was published in October 2006 by Laurence King in London and Abbeville in New York. He is is also the co-author of New Workspace: New Culture with Gavin Turner (Gower) and Home Office with Sylvia Katz (Conran Octopus).
Jo-Anne Bichard
Co-Investigator
Jo-Anne trained in Social Anthropology at Goldsmiths College. Her previous research has focused on ethnographic studies of medical imaging labs in which she gained a MSc from Imperial College London. Her work with people with disabilities was extended to the built environment in the VivaCity 2020 project she undertook whilst based at the Bartlett graduate school at UCL. Jo-Anne’s research focus is based on life away from home and how through inclusive design, barriers in the built environment including the workplace, can be erased to allow create greater access for older people and people with disabilities.
John Smith
Co-Investigator
John Smith qualified as an architect at the Bartlett School of Architecture and Planning, University College London. He received a SRC Research Scholarship at the Royal College of Art, where he completed a PhD in Design Research. John has been on the academic staff of the Department of Architecture and Interiors at the RCA since 1993 and has supervised the architectural graduates on the Helen Hamlyn Research Associates Programme since its inception. He founded his practice, John Smith and Associates (JSA Architecture Limited) in 1994 and has undertaken projects in a wide variety of sectors, including education, housing and health. Before starting his practice, John held senior positions at the Richard Rogers Partnership, where he worked on the design of the European headquarters of Daiwa Bank and was Project Architect for the redevelopment of Marseille Airport, and at Alsop and Stormer.
Matthew Harrison
Senior Associate
Matthew Harrison holds an MA in Industrial Design Engineering from the Royal College of Art (2004 and an MEng in Mechanical Engineering from Imperial College London (2002) . Matthew has worked on inclusive design research projects within the Helen Hamlyn Centre for four years. These included an investigation into the future of office lighting for the ageing workforce in partnership with Thorn Lighting, and a collaboration with BT, investigating ways to enable digitally excluded seniors who are non-computer-users to benefit from broadband connectivity. Matthew's work outside of the Centre includes industrial design, brand and design strategy, as well as website and interaction based design.
Catherine Greene
Reseach Associate
Catherine has an MA in Design Products from the Royal College of Art (2007). Having completed her BA in Textile Design in Dublin in 2004 she moved to London and worked as a project manager for a start-up company where she was involved in a range of things from the creation of brand identity, design and build of exhibition stand to office design proposals. Her MA graduation project explored concepts for office interiors, in particular, ways of introducing more natural elements into our inside environments. Since graduating from the RCA she has been pursuing her research into using water in the workplace through the Welcoming workplace project.
Alma Erlich
Consultant
Dr Alma Erlich is a chartered psychologist with 20 years experience of consulting to organisations, providing management development, evaluation, training and coaching to senior management. Her strength and expertise lie in bringing solid research methodology and insight to build a clear understanding of the organisational and individual development needs as a basis to achieving effective change. Alma has developed a broad grasp of the implications of company cultures to the working of individuals within organisations. Alma has been involved for the past eight years with the Royal College of Art Helen Hamlyn Centre, advising on research for design innovation and workplace environments. Alma is a Member of the British Psychological Society, the Association of Business Psychologists and the Social Research Association.
Margaret Durkan
Communication Manager
Margaret Durkan is Communication Manager of the Royal College of Art Helen Hamlyn Centre. She spent many years running a studio pottery; designing, producing and selling tableware to the UK, Europe and America - before studying Furniture and Product Design at Kingston University. On graduation she worked for the Design Council and an architecture and interior design consultancy before joining the Royal College of Art in 1997. During this period she completed an MA in Design Studies at Central St Martins. Margaret will manage all communications for Welcoming Workplace.