Thinking about doctoral study in an area related to Design Archives’ resources and staff expertise? We welcome enquiries about joining the distinctive student cohort currently supervised by Design Archives’ academics whose unique approach integrates design and art historical scholarship, archival and curatorial practice, and professional engagement. The rich seams of design resources available to inspire cross-disciplinary research relate to a wide range of topics:

International and national design organisations and the representation of the professions; museum and exhibition display; design practice and collaborative design processes; émigré designers and designer networks; communication design; design education, criticism and journalism; archives in contemporary culture; design curatorship; design and business history; archives and the digital humanities.

Lesley Whitworth and Sue Breakell supervise doctoral projects, working closely with other staff within the School of Arts & Humanities, across the University and cross-sector. Please get in touch if you would like to discuss a project idea with us

Current and recent projects

Ivonne Charlotte Marais

Colonial Rhizomes: Knowledge production of southern Africa through archives and displays in museums

Supervisors:  Dr Claire Wintle    Sue Breakell    Dr Johanna Zetterstrom-Sharp

Ilenia Atzori

The Role of Storytelling in Building a Collective Memory in the Castello area of Cagliari, Sardinia

Supervisors: Julia Winkler   Dr Katy Beinart     Dr Lesley Whitworth

Martha Beard

Cross-Community Oral History, Post-Conflict Geography and Conflict Resolution at West Belfast Interfaces

Supervisors: Prof Graham Dawson   Claire Hackett   Dr Lesley Whitworth

Liz Bruchet

Archives and Curatorial Practices: Mapping their Entanglements

Supervisors:    Sue Breakell     Annebella Pollen    Catherine Moriarty

Dora Souza Diaz

Icograda – the International Council of Graphic Design Associations, 1963-2013: Transnational Interactions and Professional Networks in Graphic Design (2019)

Tania Messell

Constructing a ‘United Nations of Industrial Design’: ICSID and the professionalisation of design on the world stage 1957-1980 (2018)

Supervisors:  Prof Jeremy Aynsley    Dr Lesley Whitworth

Tom Wilson

Design Strategies and the Representation of the Commonwealth: From Institute to Museum

Supervisors:  Dr Catherine Moriarty – University of Brighton,  Dr Helen Charman – Design Museum,  Dr Anita Rupprecht – University of Brighton,  Donna Loveday – Design Museum

Louise Dennis

A Matter of Material: Plastics in museums in the 21st century

Supervisors: Dr Louise Purbrick     Dr Lesley Whitworth

Jane Shepard

Discourses in Design Education: perspectives on design and the secondary school curriculum, 1988-2012

Supervisors: Dr Lesley Whitworth    Prof Avril Loveless

Jonathan Brown


The retailing, promotion and reception of modern Scandinavian furnishings, 1955-1975, in ten British locations

Supervisors: Dr Lesley Whitworth    Prof Jonathan Woodham

Leah Armstrong


Designing a Profession: The Structure, Image and Identity of the Design Profession in Britain, 1930-2010

Supervisors:  Catherine Moriarty   Prof Jonathan Woodham    Frank Peters, CEO, Chartered Society of Designers