| Design for Social Innovation |
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| Irene McAra-McWilliam is Head of the School of Design at the Glasgow School of Art. The School of Design comprises the departments of Ceramic Design, Interior Design, Silversmithing and Jewellery, Textiles, Visual Communication, Product Design and Product Design Engineering, as well as the Centre for Advanced Textiles. |
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Before starting in Glasgow in September 2005, she was Professor and Business Fellow in Innovation at The Royal College of Art in London and Head of the Interaction Design Department. As Professor of Design Research at the University of Technology in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, she examined ways in which technology can enhance community and social sustainability. |
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As Director of Design Research at Philips Electronics in the Netherlands, Irene McAra-McWilliam envisaged and directed global research in areas such as ambient intelligence, interaction design, brand design and user experience, and set up design teams in Philips’ research laboratories world-wide to contribute to the company’s long term technology research strategy. |
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For the European Commission, she created and coordinated the research theme Connected Community, and conceived and directed the award-winning project Living Memory. She continues to be an advisor to the EC in the strategic domain of ambient intelligence. |
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Professor McAra-McWilliam is a frequent speaker at international conferences and works as a consultant to industry and government. She has been voted one of fifty top design leaders by the UK's Design Week magazine. She is an expert in cultural research for social innovation, creativity, new technology and community. |
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