Dr Paul Micklethwaite PhD, SFHEA, FRSA
Reader in Design Innovation
I am Research Lead for the School of Art and Design at Manchester School of Art.
I explore the impact of sustainability agendas on how we think about and do design, via modes of practice which are explicitly social and take design (and designers) into new territories.
I am co-lead of the Earthly Practices research group - exploring design as a practice of ecological interdependence, reciprocity and place-based knowledge: https://www.mmu.ac.uk/about-us/faculties/arts-humanities/research/groups/earthly-practices
Research
Books
Micklethwaite, P., 2021. 'Beyond Recycling', Routledge.
Micklethwaite, P., Chick, A., 2011. 'Design for Sustainable Change: How design and designers can drive the sustainability agenda', AVA Academia.
Book Chapters
Micklethwaite, P., 2019. 'Design against consumerism'. In Massey, A. (eds.) A Companion to Contemporary Design since 1945, pp. 436-456, Wiley.
Micklethwaite, P., 2017. 'Products of the open design context'. In Chapman, J. (eds.) Routledge Handbook of Sustainable Product Design, pp. 514-526, Routledge.
Micklethwaite, P., 2014. 'Immaterial culture? The (Un)sustainability of screens'. In Media and the Ecological Crisis, pp. 19-39, Routledge.
Journal Articles
Micklethwaite, P., 2022. 'Sustainable Design Masters: Increasing the Sustainability Literacy of Designers', Sustainability, 14 (6).
Kulnik, S.T., Pöstges, H., Townsend, R., Micklethwaite, P., Jones, F., 2019. 'A gift from experience: co-production and co-design in stroke and self-management', Design for Health, 3 (1), pp. 98-118.
Massey, A., Micklethwaite, P., 2009. 'Unsustainability: Towards a New Design History with Reference to British Utility', Design Philosophy Papers, 7 (2), pp. 123-135.
Micklethwaite, P., 2005. 'Discussing art and design education: Themes from interviews with UK design stakeholders', International Journal of Art and Design Education, 24 (1), pp. 84-92.
Micklethwaite, P., Chick, A., 2005. 'Remarkable Pencils Ltd: Breaking Out of the Green Niche', Design Management Review, 16 (3), pp. 23-28.
Chick, A., Micklethwaite, P., 2004. 'Specifying recycled: Understanding UK architects' and designers' practices and experience', Design Studies, 25 (3), pp. 251-273.
Non-Peer Reviewed Articles
Micklethwaite, P., 2019. 'Design Ecology Politics: Towards the Ecocene, by Joanna Boehnert', The Design Journal, 22 (6), pp. 905-909.
Micklethwaite, P., 2015. 'Designing Sustainability: Making Radical Changes in a Material World, by Stuart Walker', The Design Journal, 18 (2), pp. 295-299.
Micklethwaite, P., 2012. 'Open Design Now: Why Design Cannot Remain Exclusive, by Bas van Abel et al', The Design Journal, 15 (4), pp. 493-496.
Micklethwaite, P., 2011. 'Sustainable Futures--Can Design Make a Difference?', Design and Culture, 3 (2), pp. 239-242.
Micklethwaite, P., 2010. 'Aspirational Sustainability? A Review of Eco Home', Interiors, 1 (1), pp. 151-157.
Conference Papers
Potter, G., Micklethwaite, P., Cocchiarella, F., Crompton, E., Crozier, P., Opacic Wilkinson, D., Wood, J., 2026. 'Stockport Creative Campus: Extractive Pedagogies?', Cumulus 2025, Ethical Leadership: a new frontier for design, Nantes, France, 3/6/2025 - 6/6/2025.
Micklethwaite, P., Potter, G., Bason, P., 2024. ''Reframing Stockport' - Innovation coloniality?', DFGN UnBoxed 2024, Bogota, 3/10/2024 - 4/10/2024, in https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/items/3a0cd554-b8bb-4d64-9f8d-df34dbb12243, pp. 14-17.
Costa, M., Micklethwaite, P., 2024. 'Future Foodies: A Speculative Design Approach for Youth Engagement and Policy Shaping', EFOOD24, International Food Design and Food Studies Conference, Barcelona, 7/11/2024 - 9/11/2024.
Micklethwaite, P., Charny, D., Alvarado, M., Cassim, J., Dong, Y., de Vere, I., 2020. 'Fixperts: models, learning and social contexts', Design Research Society Conference 2020, Brisbane, 11/8/2020 - 14/8/2020, in Proceedings of DRS, 1.
Micklethwaite, P., O'Connor, K., Elliott, S., 2019. 'Market as Manufactory. Making Communities', Running with Scissors, 13th International Conference of the EAD, Dundee, 10/4/2019 - 12/4/2019, in Design Journal, 22 (sup1), pp. 1267-1285.
Micklethwaite, P., Knifton, R., 2017. 'Climate Change. Design Teaching for a New Reality', Design for Next, 12th EAD Conference, Rome, 12/4/2017 - 14/4/2017, in Design Journal, 20 (sup1), pp. S1636-S1650.
Torres Castanedo, R., Micklethwaite, P., 2016. 'Activating the core economy by design', Future-Focused Thinking, Design Research Society Conference 2016, Brighton, 27/6/2016 - 30/6/2016, in Proceedings of DRS, 6.
Chick, A., Micklethwaite, P., 2004. ''Closing the loop' - The role of design in the success of six small UK recycled product manufacturers', Design and Manufacture for Sustainable Development 2004, Loughborough, 1/9/2004 - 2/9/2004, in Design and Manufacture for Sustainable Development 2004, pp. 249-262.
Micklethwaite, P., 2004. 'The 'recycled consumer' - Evidence and design implications', Design and Manufacture for Sustainable Development 2004, Loughborough, 1/9/2004 - 2/9/2004, in Design and Manufacture for Sustainable Development 2004, pp. 77-90.
Micklethwaite, P., Chick, A., 2004. 'www.inspirerecycle.org - Inspiring Design-Led Recycled Product Innovation', Futureground - DRS International Conference 2004, Melbourne, 17/11/2004 - 21/11/2004, in https://dl.designresearchsociety.org/drs-conference-papers/drs2004/researchpapers/37/.
Chick, A., Micklethwaite, P., 2003. '"Recycled tigers' teeth?": obstacles to UK designers specifying recycled products and materials', TECHNÉ: DESIGN WISDOM, European Academy of Design conference 05, Barcelona, 28/4/2003 - 30/4/2003.
Micklethwaite, P., 2003. 'Design means different things to different people', TECHNÉ: DESIGN WISDOM, European Academy of Design conference 05, Barcelona, 28/4/2003 - 30/4/2003.