Department of Design's Inaugural Postgraduate Showcase 2026

The Department of Design marked a significant milestone with its inaugural Postgraduate Showcase 2026, held at The Lodge, TechnoEdge. Bringing together students, faculty, industry partners, and guests, including Guest of Honour and Deputy Dean (Education) Dr Martin Buist, the event celebrated the breadth and depth of postgraduate design education and research at NUS.

More than an exhibition, the showcase reflected the evolving role of design today. In his opening remarks, Associate Professor Brian Stone observed that design has moved beyond the creation of objects to become a discipline grounded in strategy, research, and systems thinking. Head of Department, Professor Cees de Bont, reinforced this vision, positioning the showcase as a statement of NUS Design's identity—one that brings together artistic and humanistic perspectives with scientific and technological expertise to address pressing societal challenges, including ageing, human-centred AI, and sustainable design.

The showcase featured the Department's postgraduate programmes, research activities, and collaborations, highlighting the diverse ways in which design research can create meaningful impact.

The Master of Design in Integrated Design (MDes) programme, introduced just two years ago, featured prominently in the exhibition. Programme Lead Senior Lecturer Karin Aue reflected on the programme's rapid growth, from an inaugural cohort of 15 students to more than 500 applicants for the upcoming intake. The strong interest in the programme underscores the growing demand for designers who can navigate complexity, work across disciplines, and address increasingly complex societal and technological challenges.

Complementing the MDes programme, the Department's MA and PhD programmes showcased the breadth of its research-led postgraduate education. Associate Professor and Deputy Head (Research) Dr Yen Ching-Chiuan introduced the Department's research landscape, spanning areas such as human-systems interaction, healthcare, reflective design, emerging technologies, computational design, and fabrication. These areas are organised around three broad research clusters: Inclusive Care and Systemic Wellbeing; Human-Centred AI and Interactive Experience; and Computational Design and Fabrication Ecology.

The Department's research ecosystem is supported by seven research labs, each exploring different frontiers of design and technology:

• Aging with Dignity — PI: Professor Cees de Bont
• Interactive Materials Lab — PI: Assistant Professor Clement Zheng
• Joyful Experiences in Design and Interaction Lab — PI: Assistant Professor Janghee Cho
• Soft Technologies Lab — PI: Assistant Professor Irmandy Wicaksono
• Interactive 3D Design Lab — PI: Assistant Professor Gabriel Lipkowitz
• Fabrication Futures Lab — PI: Assistant Professor Kongpyung Justin Moon
• In:able Lab — PI: Assistant Professor Dasom Choi

The showcase also featured associated centres directed by Associate Professor Dr Yen Ching-Chiuan, including the NUS Creating Unique Technology for Everyone (CUTE) Center and the NUS Centre for Additive Manufacturing (AM.NUS). Together, these labs and centres demonstrate the Department's commitment to advancing research by design and exploring new possibilities at the intersection of design, science, and technology.

The projects on display addressed a diverse range of real-world challenges and demonstrated the value of close collaboration with industry and community partners. These included encouraging second-hand consumption with Carousell, improving travel experiences for senior passengers at Changi Airport, promoting sustainable behaviours with Hyatt, and fostering conversations around death and dying with the Ang Chin Moh Foundation.

The evening also recognised outstanding student achievement through the Integrated Design Excellence Award and the Ang Chin Moh Foundation Student Prize, celebrating students whose work demonstrated excellence, creativity, and meaningful impact.

Guests were invited to engage directly with the exhibits and their creators, gaining insight into the research processes behind the projects and experiencing some of the tools, technologies, and prototypes developed within the Department's research community. This interactive experience offered a glimpse into how postgraduate students and researchers are using design to investigate complex questions, challenge existing assumptions, and develop new possibilities for the future.

As the Department's first postgraduate showcase, the event served not only as a celebration of student achievement, but also as a reflection of the Department's growing postgraduate education and research ecosystem. It affirmed the Department of Design's vision of design as an integrative and forward-looking discipline—one that generates knowledge, connects diverse fields, and creates meaningful responses to the challenges facing society.

Looking ahead, the Department of Design remains committed to expanding its postgraduate design education, strengthening research by design, and fostering impactful collaborations that advance both design and technology.