MsBridget Malcolm

Bridget Malcolm is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Design at the University of Technology Sydney, specialising in collaborative design processes that empower organisations, users, and citizens to address complex challenges. She brings extensive experience leading design teams and managing industry research partnerships across education, health, social justice and built environment sectors.

Bridget’s design career is grounded in a decade of experience managing stakeholder engagement projects in corporate and government settings. After completing a Master of Design by Research in 2017, she joined the UTS Design Innovation Research Centre as a Senior Research Officer. There, she developed expertise in participatory design, systemic design and futures research, applying these approaches to tackle industry challenges and drive meaningful innovation. Notably, she led a student-driven campaign to address attitudes that perpetuate sexual harassment, which won an Australian Good Design Award for Social Impact in 2020.

Bridget’s research includes industry-engaged design research and scholarship published in journals including She Ji: The Journal of Design, Economics and Innovation and Higher Education Research and Development. Her recent publications examine how systemic design is applied in public and social innovation settings, and how service design education can prepare future practitioners to contribute to societal transitions.

In addition to her research, Bridget serves as the Course Director for the School of Design’s Honours program, where she integrates Product Design, Visual Communication, and Fashion and Textiles disciplines into a cohesive and sustainable curriculum. Her leadership ensures the program remains a valuable pathway for students to deepen their practice, advance research skills, and define their identities as emerging design leaders. She also teaches in the Design Studies program, delivering studio-based courses on social innovation and service design.