***APOLOGIES FOR CROSS-POSTING***

The Victoria University School of Design in Wellington is happy to  
announce a PhD position available:

Topic:
Schools of Creative Practice Based Research in a Design Knowledge  
Framework

In Design there is insufficient discussion about the definition and   
creation of ‘formal' design knowledge, what constitutes ‘valid'   
research, and the role creative exploration plays within that   
context. In the creative industries where design is seen as a crucial  
vehicle for innovation, a knowledge vision is necessary to inform the  
creation and
validation of design outcomes. Therefore, a robust study of design  
practice, creative outputs, and academic research is required. The  
project will investigate how design knowledge can be defined through  
a theoretical, practical and historical analysis of the discipline in  
close debate with both the creative industries and design academia.  
This framework will suggest a series of creative experiments which  
will generate formal design knowledge as a basis to explore and  
expose new forms of validation. The candidate will be required to  
exhibit strong creative skills and theoretical design knowledge in  
Industrial Design.

The deadline for applications is 15 May 2008.
Application forms are available from
www.victoria.ac.nz/scholarships

Further information is available from the contacts below, either
research or application:

Research contact details:
Dr. Aukje Thomassen
Postgraduate Research Coordinator - School of Design
Victoria University of Wellington
School of Design
PO Box 600, Wellington
New Zealand
Telephone: +64 4 463 6136
Email: [log in to unmask]

Application contact:
Scholarships Office
Victoria University of Wellington
Telephone: +64-4-463 7493
Email: [log in to unmask]

Background:
Located in Wellington, the capital city, the School of Design shares  
its facilities with the highly-regarded School of Architecture in an  
award-winning building in the city's artistic centre. Victoria  
University was the first New Zealand University to offer a Bachelor  
of Design degree in 1992 with a range of disciplines. The School has  
gone through a rapid development to become a leader in the field of  
design education in New Zealand.  Victoria's School of Design is  
founded on an experimental and inquisitive educational philosophy  
that embraces diverse cultures, critical thought and innovative  
technologies. The Bachelor of Design degree is based on four years of  
full-time study. It consists of First Year Design, a shared study  
programme, followed by three years in which students specialise in a
particular professional discipline. The School also offers a Master  
of Design program in each professional discipline and PhD-level  
study. The strategic development of the School of Design established  
a fourth design stream in 2006 focused on digital media and  
interactive design.
The mission of the School is to enhance teaching, learning, research  
and creative activities across the three and four-dimensional design  
disciplines whilst enabling each discipline to retain its distinctive  
focus. Studio-centred, the School engages with a wide range of ideas  
and issues relating to the understanding, creation and production of
material culture, and supports both professional and academic  
viewpoints as they reflect, embody and contribute to enhancing the  
quality of life of our social and cultural communities.


*************************
dr. Aukje Thomassen
senior lecturer
postgraduate research coordinator School of Design

Victoria University
School of Design
139 Vivianstreet
Wellington
New Zealand
T: 0064 (0) 463 6136
http://www.vuw.ac.nz/design
http://www.mediazone.co.nz/