Helen Simmons

Postgraduate Associate

Department: Northumbria School of Design

Research Focus & Expertise
Helen specialises in relational design and infrastructuring for social innovation, with particular emphasis on fostering sustainable, just outcomes within grassroots and marginalised communities. Her work examines how strengthening relationships and neighbourhood connections can catalyse collective responses to community challenges, ultimately promoting well-being for all residents.

Current Research
Helen's doctoral research consists of a place-based action enquiry in a neighbourhood of Newcastle upon Tyne, investigating grassroots participatory social innovation. This work explores:
- The infrastructuring (spaces, roles, tools, languages, and practices) that enable meaningful community relationships and unlock collective creativity
- Methods for building individual and community agency, confidence, and skills to address shared needs
- Applications of relationality, inclusivity, accessibility, and compassion in practice-based research

Academic Leadership & Knowledge Exchange
Helen demonstrates strong commitment to bridging academic and public spheres through innovative knowledge-sharing initiatives:
- Co-producer of the School of Design podcast Designamite which covers the research, teaching and practice of the School of Design.
- Lead several initiatives exploring how exhibitions and shows can be utilised to stimulate conversations within new forms of publics (Exhibitions for Critical Discourse and Final Degree shows as an invitation).
- Founding member of the Responsible Innovation Hub (ReIn), creating spaces to explore how design can help handle disputes, navigate tensions and facilitate multidisciplinary co-creation.

Teaching Philosophy
Helen advocates for pedagogical innovation through:
- Integration of new technologies to accommodate diverse learning styles
- Experiential learning opportunities
- Cross-sector/multidisciplinary collaborations that prepare students to address contemporary global challenges

Recent Projects & Affiliations
- Founder and Senior Researcher: Responsible Innovation Hub (ReIn)
- Principal Investigator: Research Culture and Podcasting
- Senior Researcher: TRUST: Transitioning Retrofit Users to Sustainable Technologies
- Senior Researcher: Creative Fuse North East
- Senior Researcher: COST Action Multi-disciplinary innovation for social change
- Member: Responsible Design Innovation
- Member: nDESIS (Design for Social Innovation towards Sustainability)
- Member: Gendered Violence and Abuse IDRT
- Member: Design Feminisms Research Group
- Member: CITE Co-Enquiry & Innovation with Creative Methods

Professional Engagement
- Helen is a Freelance consultant
- Helen holds multiple voluntary/Trustee positions with local third-sector organisations

Keywords
#Design #Communities #SocialInnovation #Relationality #Sustainability #Creativity #ParticipatoryResearch #SocialJustice #Place-based

Email Helen

Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Restructuring (Inclusive) Innovation Narratives for Institutional Systems Transformation, Ogilvie, B., Spencer, N., Bailey, M., Simmons, H. 22 Oct 2025, In: Proceedings of Relating Systems Thinking and Design
A hyper-local place-based pedagogy for exploring design justice, ontological design and systems entanglement, Spencer, N., Carrion-Weiss, J., Simmons, H. 3 Sep 2024, DS 131: Proceedings of the International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education (E&PDE 2024), Glasgow, The Design Society
Exploring Creative Confidence & Entrepreneurial Agency as drivers of Creative Resilience through Rapid Design Interventions, Carrion-Weiss, J., Bailey, M., Spencer, N., Simmons, H. 6 Aug 2024, The 24th dmi:Academic Design Management Conference Proceedings, Design Management Institute
Final degree shows: culmination or invitation?, Simmons, H., Bailey, M., Spencer, N., Hemstock, O., Mutambo, N. 7 Sep 2023, DS 123, Glasgow, The Design Society
Taking the pulse of responsible design: exhibitions as a critical discourse venue, Simmons, H., Bailey, M., Spencer, N. 7 Sep 2023, DS 123, Glasgow, The Design Society
Innovation Constellations as a systems approach to social design infrastructuring, Spencer, N., Simmons, H., Bailey, M., Hemstock, O., Carrion-Weiss, J. 20 Jul 2022, In: Academic Design Management Conference Proceedings
Three degrees of influence in virtual workshops: towards an understanding of co-creative facilitation practice in technologically mediated settings, Hemstock, O., Bailey, M., Spencer, N., Simmons, H., Coombs, S., Carrion-Weiss, J., Richardson, C. 25 Jun 2022, Proceedings of DRS2022 Bilbao, London, Design Research Society
Tipping points in design-led collaboration: attending to moments of emergence in design facilitation practice, Hemstock, O., Simmons, H., Bailey, M., Spencer, N., Coombs, S. 20 Jul 2022, dmi:ADMC 2022: DESIGN AS A STRATEGIC ASSET : Academic Design Management Conference, Cambridge, US, Design Management Institute

Professional Activity

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Participating in a conference, workshop, ...: Co Authored Narratives Symposium 2025
Organising a conference, workshop, ...: Art for Purpose 2023
Participating in a conference, workshop, ...: 25th International Conference on Engineering & Product Design Education 2023
Invited talk: Innovation Ambassadors 2023
Participating in a conference, workshop, ...: Complexity Outcomes 2023
Oral presentation: The Power of the Stottie 2023
Organising a conference, workshop, ...: COST CA18236 Working Group 1- Multi-disciplinary innovation for social change 2023
Organising a conference, workshop, ...: Pint of Science 2023 2023
Organising a conference, workshop, ...: Changing Futures North East 2023
Organising a conference, workshop, ...: Springboard Event: Experiential Learning 2023