ENTRY

Sept 2027 Entry

STUDY MODE
Full-time, Part-time
Application Deadline
PhD
31-May-2027

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About Programme
How to Apply
Introduction

Within The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the School of Design offers positions for candidates who wish to obtain doctoral degrees in design. Operating within a leading design school in Asia, the PhD programme aims to advance knowledge by producing high-quality research. Situated in Hong Kong, the School brings together Asian and Western knowledge to inform scholarly, technical and critical enquiry. As a centre for both design research and design education, the School of Design welcomes diverse approaches within each of these themes, with various methodologies, practices and theoretical positions, through hypothetico-deductive, interpretive, constructive and artistic research. The PhD programme draws together global scholars to generate, exchange and discuss knowledge and ideas on contemporary questions within the pursuit of advanced academic work.

 

The School research has gravitated towards exploring these social dimensions of design within three distinct realms: [a] Design Intelligence, [b] Design Wellbeings and [c] Social Virtue.

 

Please visit our website for more information about our research areas and programmes.

Research Area

Design Intelligence | 智設計

Design Intelligence goes beyond Artificial Intelligence (AI) design or design for AI, instead, it helps to position design as a critical means of shaping how emergingintelligence is integrated into human life. Design Intelligence is an advocate also an attitude, it emphasises deploying AI responsibly through design practices that enhance social wellbeing, ethical accountability, and environmental stewardship. Rather than treating design merely as a tool for added value or application development, Design Intelligence advances a design-led approach to guide the future trajectory of intelligence-centric technologies and developments (e.g., AI). By combining human creativity, critical inquiry, and interdisciplinary collaboration, it seeks to establish intelligent solutions that are adaptive, humane, and oriented toward long-term societal and ecological flourishing.

Please refer to the school webpage for the information on the potential supervisor(s).

Design Wellbeings | 福設計

Design Wellbeings focuses on design's transformative role in promoting holistic health, happiness, and quality of life for individuals and communities. It examines how design interventions—across products, environments, services, and systems—enhance physical, mental, and social wellbeing. Emphasising user empathy, inclusivity, and sustainability, it employs evidence-based and participatory methods. Through collaboration with healthcare, social sciences, and technology sectors, it creates impactful solutions addressing contemporary wellbeing challenges.

Please refer to the school webpage for the information on the potential supervisor(s).

Design for Virtue | 善設計

Design for Virtue explores how design cultivates ethical values, moral responsibility, and positive social impact. It examines the intersection of design with philosophy, ethics, and cultural studies to embed virtues like honesty, empathy, justice, and sustainability into processes and outcomes. The framework promotes critical reflection, stakeholder engagement, and co-creation to ensure solutions contribute to the common good. Fostering virtue-driven innovation, shapes designers who are both skilled creators and conscientious global citizens. 

Please refer to the school webpage for the information on the potential supervisor(s).

Research Facilities

The following design laboratories summarise the various incentives and research facilities within the School of Design.

 

Design Research Lab(s)

  1. The Asian Ergonomics Design Lab focuses on Asian ergonomics and anthropometrics through a series of research projects dedicated to the Asian market.

  2. The Asian Lifestyle Design Lab provides research services and generates critical knowledge for designers and industries to create innovative, sustainable products and services for the Asian lifestyle. It engages in fundamental and historical research, develops appropriate methodologies for fieldwork and analysis and seeks collaborations with industrial and academic partners.

  3. The Creativity and Design Education Lab considers creativity from multiple angles. Apart from examining the role of design education, the lab aims at improving creativity in the workplace and helping the creative industries in Hong Kong to increase their potential for economic growth.

  4. The Information Design Lab is a research and consultancy unit dedicated to investigating what makes the design of information accessible and understandable. The work of the lab primarily focuses on the processes that underlie how humans recognize, make sense of, process, remember and learn various types of information in everyday life.

  5. The Interaction Design Lab is an applied research and consultancy facility established in 2004 and endowed with the mission to promote the viability of interactive design in the field of design and in Hong Kong industries at large.

  6. The Public Design Lab builds on the assumption that public spaces should be accessible to all, including those who are disabled or disadvantaged. It promotes inclusive design to policy-makers, consults public organizations and the government and promotes interdisciplinary in public design.

  7. The Research Laboratory for Advanced Social Robotics represents the confluence of three antecedent institutions: the Center for Advanced Media Research Amsterdam (CAMeRA, 2007-2012), Services of Electro-Mechanical Care Agencies (SELEMCA, 2011-2015), and the Social Robotics Pop-up Lab (ROBOpop Foundation, 2015-2020). 

Research Centre(s)

  1. PolyU Research Centre for Cultural and Art Technology

  2. Research Centre for Future (Caring) Mobility

  3. Research Institute of Design-driven Entrepreneurship

  4. PolyU-NVIDIA Joint Research Centre

Other Information

For full-time PhD admission, preference will be given to applicants who apply for the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme, for which the application period starts in early September each year.

 

All research postgraduate applicants are recommended to approach a potential supervisor who may give advice on the proposal.

Supporting Documents
Academic Referee's Report

Compulsory - Two Academic Referee's Reports are required

Curriculum Vitae

Compulsory

 
Personal Statement

Compulsory

 
Research Proposal

Compulsory - A standard form must be used for the submission of research proposal.  Please click here to download the form.

Transcript / Certificate

Compulsory

Please upload all academic qualifications including Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree (if any) according to the University’s admission requirements, also refer to the ‘Procedures – Guidelines for Submitting Supporting Documents’ to follow the submission requirements.  

Others

Compulsory

  • English language test result (For applicants who do not have a degree for which English was the language of instruction at a recognised university); OR

  • An official document (e.g. transcript) issued by the corresponding university to indicate that English was the language of the institution

Optional

  • Publication records, scholarships, awards/prizes and class rankings (with supporting documents)
  • Official documents proving that your master’s degree is a research postgraduate degree (with a dissertation/thesis as an award requirement)