The University of Queensland

Dr Mehrnoosh Mirzaei is an interdisciplinary designer, design researcher, and educator. She is an Associate Lecturer in Design at the School of Architecture, Design and Planning. She obtained her Bachelor's and Master’s in Industrial Design (University of Tehran), focusing on Product Design. She completed her PhD at The Queensland University of Technology in 2023. The core of her PhD thesis revolves around the exciting potential of experiential learning and embodiment. Her research delves into the realm of disaster risk reduction education for children, exploring the efficacy of employing experiential learning and embodiment concepts within design-driven education. Through the framework of Research-through-Design, she embarked on a journey that involved collaboration with children as informants. The outcome of her research is a well-defined three-step model for devising initiatives that are both child-friendly and accessible to non-designers and practitioners.

Her research is transdisciplinary, exploring complex topics, developing innovative solutions, and outlining strategies for preferable futures. Mehrnoosh's extensive design background enables her to apply design-led approaches to investigate multifaced complex issues across healthcare and resiliency and risk perception domains with a focus on enhancing learning experiences. Her research interests lie in health and well-being, resiliency making, and Research through Design. Beyond her academic pursuits, Mehrnoosh has practical experience as a designer, boasting a noteworthy portfolio that includes collaborations with industries spanning the automotive, home, and toy sectors. She secured the Bronze A' Design Award in 2017 for her work "Escher". Her expertise extends to partnerships with government organisations, where she devises design-driven Risk Awareness programs tailored for children in Southeast Queensland. Additionally, she actively collaborated with hospitals and health services across Queensland, employing co-design to facilitate collaboration and incorporate the voices of healthcare practitioners in identifying the current system flow of the inter-hospital transfer system. Mehrnoosh applies these skills in the teaching area of interdisciplinary Design practice.