Professor Nathan Crilly

Dr Nathan Crilly is a Professor of Design at the University of Cambridge. He conducts research into how products, systems and services are designed and developed, focusing on designers' creativity and users' experiences.

Nathan combines a variety of research approaches in his work, including experimental and qualitative methods of empirical investigation and scholarly methods for conceptual development. This work is interdisciplinary in nature, connecting ideas, methods and findings from different research traditions. In addition to his individual research, he has collaborated with researchers specialising in engineering, product design, psychology, computer science, complexity science, education, anthropology and philosophy.

Nathan is a member of the Editorial Boards for Journal of Engineering Design, International Journal of Design Creativity & Innovation and Possibility Studies & Society. He is a Fellow of the Design Research Society and has previously held fellowships with the UK’s Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (2013–19); Clare College, Cambridge (2009–2016) and the Cambridge Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences & Humanities (2014). Before joining the University of Cambridge, Nathan held technical roles in the aerospace and software industries. He continues to consult on product development, user research and creativity training for organisations ranging from large multi-national brands to small startups.

At Cambridge, Nathan has developed and delivered courses focusing on engineering design, user-centred design, systems thinking, creativity, problem-solving, sketching, visual representation, and verbal communication. For his contributions to education in the Engineering Department and wider University, Nathan was awarded a Pilkington Prize for teaching excellence in 2023. Nathan also delivers talks and training internationally on his research topics (e.g. creativity, problem-solving), the research methods he uses (e.g. interview techniques, disciplinary integration) and various aspects of research communication (e.g. writing, diagramming).