Dr Louise Valentine

Section
Dubai
Department
Textiles and Design
Louise Valentine

About

Louise Valentine, PhD, emerges as a leading force in the design landscape, assuming the pivotal roles of Chair of Design Leadership and Head of the School of Textiles and Design at Heriot-Watt University's Dubai campus. With a formidable blend of academic rigour and practical wisdom, Louise Valentine champions a new era of design excellence.

With an illustrious career trajectory, her influence extends beyond academia. As the esteemed Editor-in-Chief of The Design Journal, Taylor and Francis’ flagship design journal, and Emeritus President of the Biennale International Design Research Conference and the European Academy of Design, she solidifies her esteemed status in the global design community.

Biography

Past Academic Leadership and Affiliations:

  • President of The European Academy of Design (2018-2023)
  • Director of the School of Fashion Design and Merchandising at Kent State University, USA (from 2019)
  • Academic Lead for Employability, Enterprise, and Entrepreneurship at the University of Dundee, UK (2013-2019)
  • Vice President of the European Academy of Design (2013-2018)
  • Design for Business, Founder and Programme Director at the University of Dundee, UK (2013-2019)

Qualifications:

  • Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    University of Dundee
  • Master of Design (M.Des.)
    University of Dundee
  • Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) with Honors in Industrial Design
    Heriot-Watt University, Scotland
Research

Louise Valentine is an author of major funded research, innovation, and knowledge exchange grants in the UK and USA: Past, Present & Future Craft (PPFCP), V&A Museum of Design Dundee, Design in Action, InGame, and the Beyond Fashion: Digital Knit Lab. The impact and legacy of her design research are rare in the UK. Collectively attracting more than £30M of investment for design research in a sustained manner over a 15-year period (2004-2018), the projects are economically and culturally transformational. For example, the future element of PPFCP conceived and brought the Victoria & Albert Museum to Scotland with a purpose-built 21st-century Museum of Design in Dundee. Designed by the Japanese Architect Kengo Kuma, the international cultural institution opened in 2018 and, to date, generates £304 million for the Scottish economy. Data from BOP consulting has brought 450 new jobs to Dundee and 1.7 million visitors and attracted new investments to the city.

Publications
  • Valentine, L. (2013) Prototype: Design and craft in the 21st Century. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
  • Valentine, L. and Follett, G. (eds.) (2010) Past, present & future craft practice. NMS.