Skip navigation

Dr Nick Spencer

Associate Professor

Department: Northumbria School of Design, Arts and Creative Industries

ADSS Nicholas Spencer Staffprofile 255Nicholas is Programme Leader for the MA/MSc Multidisciplinary Innovation programme. In this role Nicholas helps to develop international educational partnerships that develop new forms of innovation for external commercial and third sector organizations through novel academic, student and community co-creation. Nicholas' first degree is in industrial design and his Doctorate focused on expert designers' experience of practice. Teaching design research into the Design Department's Postgraduate provision and supervising Doctoral Research programmes supports and is supported by the personal research focus of developing new understandings of networked design intelligence.

My research relates to Design for Social Innovation. Specifically, my work engages with the complexities of transition; the conflicting views and influence of different people and organisations and their collective roles in realising fairer, responsible and more rewarding futures. Through a practice based approach my research explores how capabilities can be developed and embedded that initiate desirable transition and help non-design experts to continue an appropriate design practice within their professional or community setting.

I have expertise in Design Thinking and Design Innovation, topics I am invited to speak about to academic, corporate and public sector audiences. I am often commissioned to lead projects that bring the public and multiple organisations together to examine and respond creatively and strategically to complex situations. I am part of a range of significant European networks interested in Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship and leverage these to support the scaling and dissemination of new practice and exciting initiatives.

  • Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
  • A hyper-local place-based pedagogy for exploring design justice, ontological design and systems entanglement, Spencer, N., Carrion-Weiss, J., Simmons, H. 3 Sep 2024, DS 131: Proceedings of the International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education (E&PDE 2024), Glasgow, The Design Society
  • A Systemic Perspective on the Design and (Lack of) Use of an Artefact in the Hospital, Vossebeld, D., Spencer, N., De Lille, C., van der Lugt, R. 18 Oct 2024, In: Proceedings of Relating Systems Thinking and Design
  • Design Facilitation: mid-term impacts and outcomes of a design-led innovation readiness programme for micro-SMEs, Bailey, M., Carrion-Weiss, J., Albaqali, B., Spencer, N., Hemstock, O., Richardson, C. 6 Aug 2024, The 24th dmi:Academic Design Management Conference Proceedings, Design Management Institute
  • Designing as Infrastructuring to Impact Policy, Yee, J., Spencer, N., Defeyter, M. 23 Jun 2024, In: DRS Biennial Conference Series
  • Exploring Creative Confidence & Entrepreneurial Agency as drivers of Creative Resilience through Rapid Design Interventions, Carrion-Weiss, J., Bailey, M., Spencer, N., Simmons, H. 6 Aug 2024, The 24th dmi:Academic Design Management Conference Proceedings, Design Management Institute
  • Restructuring (Inclusive) Innovation Narratives for Institutional Systems Transformation, Ogilvie, B., Spencer, N., Bailey, M., Simmons, H. 18 Oct 2024, In: Proceedings of Relating Systems Thinking and Design
  • ‘Safe spaces and places’: the value of design-led methodologies in developing online narratives, Oswald, R., Soppitt, S., Spencer, N., Powell, L., Richardson, C., Coombs, S. 3 May 2024, In: International Journal of Social Research Methodology
  • Final degree shows: culmination or invitation?, Simmons, H., Bailey, M., Spencer, N., Hemstock, O., Mutambo, N. 7 Sep 2023, DS 123, Glasgow, The Design Society
  • Taking the pulse of responsible design: exhibitions as a critical discourse venue, Simmons, H., Bailey, M., Spencer, N. 7 Sep 2023, DS 123, Glasgow, The Design Society
  • Creative and collaborative reflective thinking to support policy deliberation and decision making, Spaa, A., Spencer, N., Durrant, A., Vines, J. 1 May 2022, In: Evidence and Policy

  • Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
  • Birmingham - HAF Plus – Co-designing a HAF Plus Service Blueprint and Policy, with Secondary School Pupils and Experts, of Holiday and Out of School Provision, Defeyter, G. (Principal Investigator), Spencer, N. (Co Investigator), 01/08/22 - 30/06/23
  • FB - HAF Plus – Co-designing a HAF Plus Service Blueprint and Policy, with Secondary School Pupils and Experts, of Holiday and Out of School Provision, Defeyter, G. (Principal Investigator), Spencer, N. (Co Investigator), Feeding Britain, 01/08/22 - 30/06/23, £9,929.00
  • Gateshead - HAF Plus – Co-designing a HAF Plus Service Blueprint and Policy, with Secondary School Pupils and Experts, of Holiday and Out of School Provision, Defeyter, G. (Principal Investigator), Spencer, N. (Co Investigator), Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council, 01/08/22 - 30/06/23, £18,686.00
  • London - HAF Plus – Co-designing a HAF Plus Service Blueprint and Policy, with Secondary School Pupils and Experts, of Holiday and Out of School Provision, Defeyter, G. (Principal Investigator), Spencer, N. (Co Investigator), 01/08/22 - 30/06/23
  • Northumberland - HAF Plus – Co-designing a HAF Plus Service Blueprint and Policy, with Secondary School Pupils and Experts, of Holiday and Out of School Provision, Defeyter, G. (Principal Investigator), Spencer, N. (Co Investigator), 01/08/22 - 30/06/23
  • Creative Spark partnerhsip fund, Bailey, M. (Principal Investigator), Spencer, N. (Co Investigator), British Council, 05/11/20 - 30/06/23, £19,951.00
  • Creative Fuse North East (AHRC funded), Bailey, M. (Principal Investigator), Spencer, N. (Co Investigator), Newcastle University, 01/02/20 - 31/07/22, 0.00
  • ERDF: Creative Fuse North East 2 (see also CRP0755 AHRC), Bailey, M. (Principal Investigator), Spencer, N. (Co Investigator), Newcastle University, 01/02/20 - 31/07/22, 0.00
  • Creative Spark: Get Ready to Innovate Armenia, Bailey, M. (Principal Investigator), Spencer, N. (Co Investigator), British Council, 09/10/18 - 31/07/19, £49,924.00
  • Project Legacy Sprint, Bailey, M. (Principal Investigator), Spencer, N. (Co Investigator), Northumbrian Water, 08/05/17 - 12/05/17, £2,000.00

  • Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
  • Organising a conference, workshop, ...: COST CA18236 Working Group 1- Multi-disciplinary innovation for social change 2023
  • Organising a conference, workshop, ...: European Cooperation in Science and Technology CA18236 - Multi-disciplinary innovation for social change (SHIINE) 2022
  • Organising a conference, workshop, ...: Hartlepool Mental Health Alliance 2021
  • Consultancy: Enterprise Education Policy Challenges, Opportunities and Recommendations in the Republic of Armenia 2019
  • Organising a conference, workshop, ...: British Council Enterprise education Policy Dialogue workshop 2019
  • Organising a conference, workshop, ...: GETM3 Sandpit Northumbria 2017 2017

  • Ashleigh Bentham A Constructivist Grounded Theory Study Creating a Framework of Prominent Themes of Responsibility Within UK-Based Postgraduate Design-Led Innovation Programmes Start Date: 01/10/2015 End Date: 26/06/2022
  • Brogan Ogilvie ‘Neoliberalism and social design; an institutional logics perspective for research and practice’ Start Date: 01/10/2021
  • Oliver Hemstock Exploring the strategic value of slow design: understanding potential benefits within a commercial setting Start Date: 01/10/2015 End Date: 29/07/2020
  • Emelia Erland Start Date: 25/09/2020 End Date: 05/02/2021
  • Jacob Goff Postphenomenology and Fashion: Clothing as Mediator Between Body and World Start Date: 25/09/2020 End Date: 19/04/2023

  • Design Studies PhD March 31 2009
  • Teaching & Learning PCAPL November 04 2004
  • Design Studies BA (Hons) June 30 2002


a sign in front of a crowd
+

Northumbria Open Days

Open Days are a great way for you to get a feel of the University, the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and the course(s) you are interested in.

Research at Northumbria
+

Research at Northumbria

Research is the life blood of a University and at Northumbria University we pride ourselves on research that makes a difference; research that has application and affects people's lives.

NU World
+

Explore NU World

Find out what life here is all about. From studying to socialising, term time to downtime, we’ve got it covered.


Latest News and Features

NIHR multiple and complex needs
Paramedics at work
Joint Institute of Clean Hydrogen
Volunteering builds inroads and supports communities. In this photo, UN Volunteers interview community members to assess basic health services in the rural areas of Rwanda. Copyright UNV, 2023
HICSA partners at the site
Jupiter with a spot visible at the south pole
More news
More events

Upcoming events

Commercialising Social Sciences for Impact
Northumbria University Carol Service
The Future of Evaluation in Health and Social Care Symposium
-

Back to top