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Professor Christopher Earl

Profile summary

  • Visiting Formal Academic
  • Emeritus Professor
  • Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
  • School of Engineering & Innovation
  • christopher.earl

Professional biography

Professor of Design, Open University 2000-Present (Emeritus from 2015)

Newcastle University, Engineering Design Centre and Faculty of Engineering 1991-2000

Bristol Polytechnic, Faculty of Engineering 1985-1990

PhD Open University, Design 1981

Research in Design, CAD, Robotics and Manufacturing Systems (with RC and EC funding) and currently in Design Computation and Design Processes.

Teaching in Design, Manufacturing Systems and Engineering, developing UG degree and MSc programmes including Production chair T317 Innovation: design for change.

Administrative duties included Head of Department Design and Innovation (2003-06), and Dean Faculty of Mathematics, Computing and Technology (2006-10), member of Senate and Council, Chair of OU REF 2014 submission in Art and Design.

Research interests

Current research projects focus on shape and design descriptions, especially issues of computability.

Recent projects include CoI on EPRSC, 'Embedding design descriptions', 2015-17 at Leeds University (Schools of Mechanical Engineering, Computing and Business), continuing EPSRC funding ('Ensuring the quality of design descriptions', £1.1M) at Leeds 2018-2021 

Associated work includes research and PhD supervisions  in Design Processes (based on industry cases in engineering design), Design Computation (including computational rules as tools in jewellery design and making schemas for design exploration of kinematic designs) and wider issues in design including  policy and power.

Research groups

NameTypeParent Unit
Design Group: Design InnovationGroupFaculty of Mathematics, Computing and Technology
Design Group: Design TransformationsGroupFaculty of Mathematics, Computing and Technology