David Hawkins taught Three Dimensional Design at the University of Plymouth in the UK and lectured in Industrial Design and Ergonomics at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, Ireland.

He then became Head of the School of Design, and Head of Knowledge Transfer and Research at the Kent Institute of Art and Design in the UK before relocating to New Zealand to become Head of the School of Design at Unitec late in 2006.

His research and professional interests include ergonomics, design history and culture, blacksmithing and craft metalwork, vehicle and product design.

David’s published work includes books, journal articles and conference papers on a range of design-related subjects. His design work has ranged across various forms of transport, sporting equipment, leisure-software and craft metalwork.

David has been a trustee of design-related charities, a non-executive director of several companies and a key player in several large-scale economic regeneration projects.

When a previous PhD student became creative director of a commercial development in Guangzhou China called Mayland, David created a network-based design matching service between New Zealand and China in 2007, swapping design expertise for access to manufacturers.