Professor Sharon Baurley, Head of the Design Products programme of the Royal College of Art (RCA) steps down from the department after three years. ''Sharon Baurle has always been at the forefront of design education during her tenureship of a programme at the RCA,'' mentioned in post at the university.

Professor Baurley started to work with the College in January 2014 and during her three-year leadership, she has applied her design, materials, engineering electronics and computer science experience to redirecting the Design Products (DP) programme towards a real-world agenda around ‘Creativity for Purpose’, building a new team, establishing a network of external partners and experts that expose students to contemporary challenges, and redefining DP’s research trajectories – distributed manufacture, innovation ecosystems and sustainability, and social design.

Professor Baurley’s research interests align closely with the College’s, and she will continue to be involved in the developing research lab Distributed Everything, investigating, exploring and challenging new modes of production and consumption for a sustainable economy. The lab will be a platform to develop projects and funding bids, and demonstrate the RCA’s capability to be a lead partner in London’s pledge to become a Fab City.

''While I am sad to be leaving the RCA for family relocation, I am delighted to take up this new post in another prestigious European institution, which will enable me to build on existing interests and partnerships, and to continue as Research Professor at the RCA,'' said Prof Sharon Baurley.

Professor Baurley’s new post - which scheduled for announcement on 5 October, will allow opportunities for cross-disciplinary research with a particular focus on internationalisation, forging links with the UK and USA, and building research with the STEM community. She will continue to have an active role in relation to the Design Products programme and the College’s research strategy. 

rofessor Baurley will take up her new position in January 2017. Meanwhile, the programme will be led by Senior Tutors Robert Phillips and James Tooze, with Robert Phillips taking on the role of Acting Head of Programme.

Top image courtesy of RCA

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