ZHANG Wanlin

Wanlin Zhang is Assistant Professor of the School of Design at Southern University of Science and Technology. She is a cross-disciplinary design researcher whose work focuses on design for sustainability, socially responsible design, and culturally significant designs. She holds a PhD in Design from Lancaster University, UK, and MA degree in Design Science from Hunan University, China, and BA in Industrial Design from Central South University, China. Her PhD research, funded by CSC (China Scholarship Council) PhD Scholarship Programme, aims to explore the potential of design in supporting the long-term development of traditional craft heritage. Her previous research also contributes to Located Making project, which is a collaborative three-year project funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Newton Fund. Also, as a designer and design researcher, she was involved in several design projects and funded research projects, and she has research and commercial experience in user experience research, product development and project management. Also, she served as a reviewer for the CUMULUS Conference Detroit 2022 and the Craft Research Journal. She is interested in the development of design-driven innovative projects both within academia and beyond to explore the implementation of design in a wide range of areas, such as social wellbeing, cultural studies, environmental stewardship, and new technologies.

Selected Publications:

Zhang, W., Walker, S., and Evans, M. (2023). ‘The Located Making framework’ for Sustainable Enterprise. In Zsolnai, L., Walker, T., and Shrivastava, P. (eds.) Value Creation for a Sustainable World. London: Palgrave Macmillan. (In Press)

Walker, S., Evans, M., Zhang, W.*, and Humphreys, P. (2022). The Located Making Framework for Supporting Craft Maker Enterprises in China. The Design Journal. 25(6), 976-996. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14606925.2022.2112856

Zhang, W., Walker, S., Evans, M., and Bennett, J. (2021). Inheritors of the Yellow River: The Relationship of Heritage Making Practices to Cultural Self-confidence in China. International Journal of Anthropology and Ethnology, 5(4). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s41257-021-00045-6 

Zhang, W. (2021). Design for the Sustainment of Traditional Making Practices: A Research Study in Central China. The Design Journal. 24(1), 137-147. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14606925.2020.1835232 

Zhang, W., Walker, S., and Mullagh, L. (2019). Craft and Sustainability: Reflections on Design Interventions in the Craft Sector in China. In: International Association of Societies of Design, Design revolutions: IASDR 2019 Conference Proceedings. Manchester, UK, 2nd-5th September, 2019. Manchester: Manchester Metropolitan University. Vol.2, pp.326-338. ISBN:978-1-910029-60-2. 

Zhang, W., and Walker, S. (2018). A Values-based Direction: Overcoming an Imbalanced Relationship Between the Designers and Craftspeople. In: CUMULUS Association, CUMULUS Conference Proceedings Wuxi 2018: Diffused Transition and Design Opportunities. Wuxi, China, 31st October-3rd November,2018. Wuxi: Jiangnan University. pp.63-74. ISBN: 978-952-60-0092-3. 

Zhang, W., Hu, Y, and Ji, T. (2017). Technology-driven Design for Environmental Public Service [数字技术驱动下的环境公共服务设计研究]. Packaging Engineering [包装工程], 38(10): 55-61. (In Chinese) 

Zhang, W., Cho, E. J., Jiang, Y., and Guo, Y. (2016). Community-based Research for Innovation and Design: In the Case of Qinghai, In: Proceedings of 22nd International Sustainable Development Research Society (ISDRS), Lisbon, Portugal, 13-15 July, 2016.