Dr Henry Collingham

I am a product designer and researcher using participatory design, community co-creation, and technology for social good. My work centres on hearing and amplifying some of the quietest voices in our communities – principally people living with dementia – and on exploring what it means to practice design collaboratively, as an act of citizenship.

I hold a PhD in Design from Northumbria University (2021), my thesis is titled Product Design to support Creative Ageing for People with Dementia: A Practice-Based Inquiry.

I joined as a staff member in 2021, as an Innovation Fellow on the Centre for Digital Citizens project. I became a Senior Research Fellow in Design in 2025. Prior to Northumbria, I worked at Cinimod Studio in London, developing ambitious interactive artworks and architectural installations.

Much of my research takes place in community settings, working alongside people with dementia, care partners, and community organisations to co-create meaningful products, spaces, and experiences. Key projects include Dovetails, an exploration of reciprocal participatory making between adults with dementia and youth groups, Mariana's Song, a multi-sensory co-creation project with people living with advanced dementia, and Making History, a heritage co-creation initiative with young people from underserved communities.

I am the Innovation Lead for the Technology Empowered Dementia Independence (TEDI) Network Plus, a UKRI/EPSRC-funded collaborative research network working to build coordinated dementia pathways that integrate technology and services to support those affected by dementia.

Alongside academic research, I maintain an active design practice and have a particular interest in making and craft as modes of research inquiry. I am committed to participatory and co-productive approaches that place lived experience at the heart of the design process, and to advancing social justice through design research in our community.