Lucy Kimbell
Professor of Contemporary Design Practices at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London
Lucy Kimbell (PhD) is a designer and researcher, currently Professor of Contemporary Design Practices at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. Her research explores service design, social design and design for policy including her book ‘Service Innovation Handbook’. She is co-director of the Sustainable Transitions through Democratic Design Doctoral Network funded by the EU Marie Curie programme (2024-28) and led the Design and Public Policy Research Network funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
Previously, Lucy was AHRC Research Fellow in Policy Lab in the Cabinet Office, principal research fellow at the University of Brighton, and Clark Fellow in Design Leadership at Said Business School, University of Oxford.
Lucy Kimbell
Professor of Contemporary Design Practices at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London
Lucy Kimbell (PhD) is a designer and researcher, currently Professor of Contemporary Design Practices at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. Her research explores service design, social design and design for policy including her book ‘Service Innovation Handbook’. She is co-director of the Sustainable Transitions through Democratic Design Doctoral Network funded by the EU Marie Curie programme (2024-28) and led the Design and Public Policy Research Network funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
Previously, Lucy was AHRC Research Fellow in Policy Lab in the Cabinet Office, principal research fellow at the University of Brighton, and Clark Fellow in Design Leadership at Said Business School, University of Oxford.
Sessions
Futures for service design: uncertainties and possibilities
What might professionalised design look like in the 2030s? Drawing on research for her forthcoming book, Lucy Kimbell explores the shifting landscape in which service designers, design teams and design-led organisations operate and where uncertainties around technology, policy, education, and sustainability are reshaping expectations of design’s value, delivery models, and roles in society.
This opening talk will set the tone for this conference and share emerging scenarios for how design practices could evolve, and what these possibilities mean for business models, regulation, and training. Through this lens, Lucy Kimbell invites discussion about how service design can remain relevant, ethical, and impactful in uncertain futures.
Design leadership
Experience & empathy