Dr Ely is a design researcher and practitioner, currently leading research centred on designing for peace, security and resilience. He is the founder of the Design For Peace action network. He is an interaction and graphic designer and sociologist.
A British-Australian with a PhD in Sociology, Dr Ely has worked in the design, music, television and digital industries before moving into academia in 2002. He has led large-scale research and innovation projects and is currently writing his first monograph for Bloomsbury: Planetary Design and the Crisis of Political Imagination. He was the designer/editor of the acclaimed Climate Domesday Book—an interactive book of the future featuring over 30 climate activists, scientists, artists, filmmakers and policymakers exploring the future of energy. He recently served as the Editor of the Journal of Design, Business & Society and is currently editing, compiling and writing chapters for a book exploring design fiction for peace to be published by Sternberg Press in 2027.
Calling researchers in intelligence, defence, security, international affairs and civic society, our design-led innovation project is looking for partners who want to share across design, political science, geopolitics and civic governance.