Ms Katherine Bissett-Johnson

Biography

Kate Bissett-Johnson lectures into the Industrial Design and Product Design Engineering programs at Swinburne University. Her primary interest is in how Industrial Design can lead the world to a more environmentally and socially responsible future. Kate has a long track record of linking Universities with real world projects, locally and globally, in both her previous position at RMIT University and at Swinburne. She has developed design strategies and tools for teaching Industrial Design and Product Design Engineering, looking specifically at the interaction between user and product since completing her Master of Arts in the early 90s. Additionally her research interests span the domains of Public Good Design, Strategic & Transformative Design, and Sustainability. Kate’s current role as Academic Director of Work Integrated Learning for the School of Architecture and Design leverages her industry experience includes working as a designer at several of Melbourne's premier design consultancies, developing high volume commercial products for both local and international clients. More recently with the shift to online learning, Kate’s teaching has been increasingly focused on increasing student knowledge and skills around Critical and Digital literacy. Kate was commended by Swinburne University as an “Outstanding Teacher” according to the student satisfaction survey’s in 2019, 2020 and 2021. In 2022 she won the School of Design and Architecture Teaching award.