Richard Firth
Richard Firth

Dr Richard Firth BDes (Hons) SFHEA

Associate Professor

Biography

Richard has 25 years of professional practice experience delivering multidisciplinary design contracts to national and international bodies including, British Airports Authority, Historic Scotland, Edinburgh International Science Festival, United Distillers, Levi, Babcok International, Historic Monuments Northern Ireland, The National Trust for Scotland. His scope of expertise covers, product design, exhibition design and heritage interpretation, model and set making, plus art direction and concept art for the gaming industry. Richard established his own heritage and interpretation practice (1997 -2010) delivering projects on both a national and international scale.

Richard joined Edinburgh Napier University in 2003 and has programme lead the product programme design since 2008. He has continued to develop new and existing staff mobility and students exchange agreements with educational institutions globally including, Australia, China, Europe, and Scandinavia. He has been a visiting design lecture to design institutions in China since 2008, Norway since 2009, and the Netherlands since 2012.

Richard leads an international design academic staff research workshop called 'work on the move' (established 2012), its aim is to explore and develop new design innovation methodologies. The collective has generated significant impact through its research which is disseminated through conferences and published works. Richard continues to raise the universities international profile through his work with 'Carousel' which is a 'short term' international mobility programme for student and staff exchange facilitated by six international design institutes.

Richard in an external examinier to UK based ad overseas HE product design programmes,
He is interested in using design thinking to further his research in to Dyslexia, Synaesthesia and Autism syndrome. An advocate of craft, making and drawing, Richard has published and exhibited works (through traditional publishing routes and through public engagement and widening participation workshops) on integrating traditional and digital design skills, internationalisation and improvisatory working methodologies.

Richard was very proud to have been awarded the Edinburgh Napier University NSA most inspiring tutor award in May 2015 and is currently preparing an application for PhD through published works.

Research Areas

Events

Esteem

Advisory panels and expert committees or witness

  • Play on: Edinburgh International Science Festival
  • Work on the Move: International pedagogic design research group
  • Mini Maker Fair: Edinburgh International Science Festival
  • Carousel: Short term international student mobility programme
  • Quality streets: South Yorkshire town centre urban renewal team.

 

External Examining/Validations

  • Invited Jury panel member for the assessment of Masters Degree in Design certified by the French minister of Higher Education, Ecole de Design Nantes, France
  • External Examiner at the University of Derby for BA/BSc (Hons) Product design Engineering

 

Invited Speaker

  • 2nd International design week workshop, Ecole de Design Nantes, France
  • International design week: Ecole de Design, Nantes, France
  • Cumulus International Conference for Design Education Researchers Oslo
  • Department of Industrial Product Design Windesheim University of Applied Sciences. Zwolle The Netherlands.
  • University Of Oslo and Akershus University College Of Applied Science

 

Public Engagement Activity

  • Matter Mutts: Immersive virtual reality, The National Museum of Scotland
  • Exploration 15: European Researchers Night RZSS
  • Space Station: Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) and Abu Dhabi Technology Development Committee (TDC)
  • The Phantom Entomologist: Edinburgh International Science Festival.
  • Making it: Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) and Abu Dhabi Technology Development Committee (TDC) Edinburgh International Science Festival.
  • Zoo for Robots: Edinburgh City Arts Centre.
  • Do Not Press Undo: Edinburgh International Science Festival.
  • Wrapping The City: Edinburgh City Centre

 

Date


33 results

Using an Outdoor Learning Space to Teach Sustainability and Material Processes in HE Product Design

Journal Article
Firth, R., Stoltenberg, E., & Jennings, T. (2016)
Using an Outdoor Learning Space to Teach Sustainability and Material Processes in HE Product Design. International Journal of Art and Design Education, 35(3), 327-336. https://doi.org/10.1111/jade.12109
The world is facing environmental changes that are increasingly affecting how we think about manufacturing, the consumption of products and use of resources. Within the HE pro...

Sand Casting on the Beach - Introducing Traditional Making Skills, Materials and Process through Play and Experimentation.

Presentation / Conference
Firth, R., & Stoltenberg, E. (2015, September)
Sand Casting on the Beach - Introducing Traditional Making Skills, Materials and Process through Play and Experimentation. Paper presented at 17th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ENGINEERING AND PRODUCT DESIGN EDUCATION, Loughborough, UK
Within the higher education (HE) product design field, many researchers stress the importance for students to recognise and value the relationship between practical 3D object-...

Interdisciplinary methodologies in different cultures of learning: Apples and Pears?

Conference Proceeding
Macdonald, I., Firth, R., Foster, M., & Zhou, V. (2014)
Interdisciplinary methodologies in different cultures of learning: Apples and Pears?
This paper explores the reception and analysis of different methodologies in an inter-disciplinary pedagogical collaboration involving Design and Business academics and their ...

Re-constructing “culture of learning” – international student experiences in China and the UK.

Conference Proceeding
Foster, M., Macdonald, I., Firth, R., & Zhou, V. (2014)
Re-constructing “culture of learning” – international student experiences in China and the UK
Following previous Teaching Fellows funding to undertake a joint research project between Business School and the School of Arts & Creative Industries we would like to present...

Journal of Design Practice and Research, Volume 3, 2014

Book
Lambert, I., Firth, R., MacLeod, M., Forster, S., Innes, M., Winton, E., …Titley, W. (2014)
Journal of Design Practice and Research, Volume 3, 2014. Edinburgh Napier University
Editorial -Welcome to the third issue of the Journal for Design Practice & Research. The last 18 months has been an extremely busy time for us. We have continued to grow as a ...

Challenges and benefits of student mobility: what do we know about our students’ perceptions of own and host culture of learning.

Presentation / Conference
Foster, M., Macdonald, I. & Firth, R. (2014, January)
Challenges and benefits of student mobility: what do we know about our students’ perceptions of own and host culture of learning. Paper presented at Edinburgh Napier Staff Conference, Edinburgh
No abstract available.

Journal of Design Practice and Research Volume 2, 2012.

Book
Lambert, I., Firth, R., Forster, S., Innes, M., Macdonald, I., MacLeod, M., …Winton, E. (2012)
Journal of Design Practice and Research Volume 2, 2012. Edinburgh Napier University
Since the publication of the first issue of our journal twelve months ago our team of creative practitioners and academics has expanded (see pages 32-39), as has our work with...

Journal of Design Practice and Research Volume 1. 2011

Journal Article
Lambert, I., MacLeod, M., Firth, R., Winton, E., Dean, M., Innes, M., …Titley, W. (2011)
Journal of Design Practice and Research Volume 1. 2011. Journal of Design Practice and Research, 1, 1-40
What is design and what are designers? Good design can change lives and improve services within the public, private and third sectors. Designers are creative problem solvers w...

Projects for Multi-Disciplinary Teams: Engaging Students across Design Disciplines in a Shared Undergraduate First Year Curriculum.

Conference Proceeding
Lambert, I. & Firth, R. (2010)
Projects for Multi-Disciplinary Teams: Engaging Students across Design Disciplines in a Shared Undergraduate First Year Curriculum
On undergraduate design courses at Edinburgh Napier University, two thirds of the first year curriculum is shared. Working in open studios, students are able to gain awareness...

Projects for multi-disciplinary teams: engaging students across design disciplines in a shared undergraduate first year curriculum.

Presentation / Conference
Lambert, I., & Firth, R. (2010, May)
Projects for multi-disciplinary teams: engaging students across design disciplines in a shared undergraduate first year curriculum. Paper presented at Cumulus 10: Borderline - Pushing Design over the limit., Genk, Belgium
On undergraduate design courses at Edinburgh Napier University, two thirds of the first year curriculum is shared. Working in open studios, students are able to gain awareness...

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