Professor Maria Lonsdale

Maria is a Professor of Information and Communication Design.

 

Her research is notable in the field of Design for its interdisciplinary nature, with collaboration across sectors such as Healthcare, as well as for its research based user-centred approach using a wide range of research methods including; focus groups, interviews, questionnaires and surveys, co-design, usability testing and iteration, experimental studies that test, evaluate and validate design solutions to particular problems encountered in real-life contexts. At its core, her research focuses on the effective use of design to improve user performance and wellbeing.

 

Maria was the Head of School of Design at the University of Leeds (one of the 24 Russell Group Universities in the UK) between 2020 and 2026. She is the founder of PACE - Professional Academy for Creative Enterprise, and was the Director of PACE until 2026. PACE delivers innovative professional education, creative production and expert consultancy tailored to organisations and professionals worldwide.

 

She is the co-founder of the consortium of 3 universities now publishing the prestigious international peer-reviewed Design journal Visible Language (first published in 1967): University of Leeds, UK; University of Cincinnati, US; and North Carolina State University, US. She was the Editor-in-Chief for Visible Language in 2025 and Editor-in-Chief for the equally prestigious Information Design Journal (first published in 1979) in 2020-2024. She is also reviewer for other peer-reviewed design journals such She Ji: The Journal of Design, Economics, and Innovation, as well as journals beyond the field of Design, such as Journal of Eye Movement Research. She is a regular manuscript reviewer for publishers such as Sage, Routledge (Taylor & Francis) and Bloomsbury.

 

She has experience of teaching design theory and practice, and research methods for design in higher education, both in Portugal and in the UK since 1997. She also worked as a design practitioner since 1996, having established her own design studio in partnership at the time.

 

She was awarded Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) as a recognition for her seniority and contribution to high quality teaching and student learning. She was also awarded Member of the International Society of Typographic Designers (MISTD) as recognition for her professional ability as designer and academic.