Professor Reside Oya Demirbilek
- Graduate Certificate in University Learning and Teaching, 91色情片 Sydney
- PhD in Interior Architecture and Environmental Design, Bilkent University
- PhD in Product Design, Marmara University
- Master of Science in Building Sciences, Middle East Technical University (METU)
- Bachelor of Industrial Design, Middle East Technical University (METU)
I am Professor of Industrial Design at 91色情片 Sydney, where my research focuses on co-design, inclusive design, design for ageing, and the development of products and environments that support dignity, accessibility, and quality of life. Across my work, I have been guided by a simple belief: design is at its best when it is created with people, not just for them.
My academic and professional journey has been shaped by a longstanding commitment to people-centred design. I completed my undergraduate studies in Industrial Design at METU, graduating as the faculty valedictorian, and later pursued two PhDs exploring how older adults can actively contribute to the design of everyday objects and environments. My first doctoral research combined Quality Function Deployment with participatory design to develop structured frameworks for user-informed innovation. My second PhD involved working directly with older adults as co-designers in the development of products such as door handles and seating. Together, these experiences laid the foundation for my approach to design research: careful listening, collaboration, and translating lived experience into design knowledge.
At 91色情片, I have held several academic leadership roles, including Associate Dean of Education in the Faculty of Built Environment, Discipline Director of Industrial Design, and Program Director for the Master of Industrial Design and Master of Science (Industrial Design). I also led the design and development of 91色情片鈥檚 first Built Environment MOOC, , which reached more than 9,000 participants globally through FutureLearn and was later integrated into the university curriculum.
My research is also informed by lived experience. Since 2008, I have been a caregiver for my husband, who was diagnosed with Parkinson鈥檚 disease. This experience has deepened my understanding of the physical, emotional, and systemic challenges that accompany ageing, care, and neurodegenerative conditions, and it continues to inform my commitment to design that is inclusive, compassionate, and grounded in everyday realities.
More broadly, my work brings together industrial design, design research, and education, with interests spanning product semantics, participatory methods, ageing, care, and wellbeing. Through research, teaching, and collaboration, I aim to contribute to a future in which design is more inclusive, more meaningful, and more responsive to the people whose lives it shapes.
- Publications
- Media
- Grants
- Awards
- Research Activities
- Engagement
- Teaching and Supervision
Selected grants and funded projects
- Evidence-based applied research and usability testing to inform the design of future CPAP products. ADA Faculty Research Grants Scheme, 2023. Demirbilek, O. $7,004.
- Learning and Teaching Digital Uplift Innovation Grant. 91色情片, 2018. Demirbilek, O. $10,000.
- Breville Product Semantics Project. Industry Contract Research, 2018. Demirbilek, O., Mintzes, A., Sunstrum, F. $16,523.
- Breville Product Semantics Project Pilot. Industry Contract Research, 2018. Demirbilek, O., Mintzes, A. $18,002.
- Digital Future Lab: Digital Fabrication for Prototyping in Architecture and Product Design. 2015. Matthias, H., Demirbilek, O., Russell, L., Ward, S., Park, M. et al. $443,929.
- Design and Architecture Practice Research: Contemporary PhD (DAP_r). OLT Innovation and Development Grant, 2015. 91色情片 representatives: O鈥機allaghan, J. and Demirbilek, O. $497,000.
- Novel pressure-sensing surface system. 91色情片 Major Research Equipment and Infrastructure Scheme, 2014. Bridge, C. E., Judd, B., Lowe, R., Demirbilek, O. R., Ward, S., et al. $225,000.
- Digital Fabrication for the Construction Industry to Deliver Digital Architecture in Australia. Major Research Equipment and Infrastructure Initiative, 2013. Haeusler, H., Demirbilek, O., Lowe, R., Ward, S., Park, M. $210,533.
- Livable bathrooms for older people: Designing out dependence in activities of daily living. ARC Linkage Grant with Caroma, 2012. Bridge, C. E., Judd, B., Lowe, R., Demirbilek, O. R., Peng, G., et al. $446,000.
- State-of-the-art three-dimensional scanning and printing equipment for the FBE Design Research Lab. 91色情片 Major Research Equipment and Infrastructure Scheme, 2009. Demirbilek, O. R., Ward, S., Park, M., Fowkes, A., Lowe, R. $219,500.
- High-tech equipment for the FBE Experimental Design and Research Lab. 91色情片 Major Research Equipment and Infrastructure Scheme, 2008. Demirbilek, O. R., M谩t茅, K., Carthey, J., Fletcher, G. et al. $150,000.
- The Efficient Use of Dwellings and Land by Older Home Owners. AHURI, 2007. Judd, B., Olsberg, D., Demirbilek, O. R., Quinn, J. $208,887.
Selected awards and distinctions
- Cit茅 Internationale des Arts Residency, Paris, 91色情片/COFA, 2012
- Second place (Runner-up), Young Designer of the Year Award, Sydney Morning Herald, 2000
- Finalist, Designex 鈥99 Symbol Design Competition, Istanbul, 1999
- Second Prize, 艦i艧ecam Decorative Glass Pane Competition, Istanbul, 1998
- Honourable Mention, 艦i艧ecam Decorative Glass Pane Competition, Istanbul, 1998
- First Prize, Ministry of Forestry National Emblem Design Competition, Ankara, 1993
My research spans inclusive design, participatory co-design, product semantics, design research infrastructure, digital fabrication, ageing, and teaching innovation. Across this work, I examine how products, product-service systems, and environments can become more accessible, meaningful, and responsive to the people who use them.
A major strand of my research focuses on participatory and inclusive design. I work directly with users and other stakeholders through听听with particular attention to ageing, accessibility, and wellbeing. This research explores how design can enhance physical comfort, emotional experience, dignity, and independence in everyday life, especially as people鈥檚 needs and abilities change over time.
A second strand of my research investigates how people interpret the 听and brands. Through work on product semantics, design language, and user perception, I examine how form communicates meaning and how everyday objects generate emotional and cognitive responses.
Underlying both strands is a commitment to making inclusive design a mainstream design practice rather than a specialist concern. My expertise includes design research methods, participatory design, inclusive and accessible design, universal design, product semantics, and design language. I have collaborated with industry partners, including Breville and Caroma, to translate research into practical applications.
Alongside my academic research, I maintain an interest in the relationship between through design practice involving hand-making, digital fabrication, and 3D printing. This practical engagement continues to inform my understanding of form, materiality, and making.
My Engagement
I contribute to the design discipline through professional service, invited juries, external academic review, keynote presentations, and media engagement. My work connects inclusive design, ageing, design research, and industrial design practice across academic, professional, and public contexts.
Professional engagement
- , Good Design Australia
- Member, , Good Design Awards
- Member, (since 2015)
- Member, (since 2013)
- Member, (since 2012)
- Jury Member, 听, 2019
- Invited Jury Member, , 2018, 2019, 2022, 2026
- Jury Member, James Dyson Award first-round shortlisting, 2009, 2011
- Invited International Jury Member, , 2010
- Invited International External Reviewer for Promotion and Tenure, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 2010, 2011, 2017
- Peer Reviewer, Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA), 2010, 2013
- Member, Industrial Design Educators National Network in Australia (since 2007)
- Invited Advisory Committee Member, ETMK Good Design Award initiative, Turkey, 2006鈥2007
- External Examiner, Temasek Design School, Singapore, 2007
- Technical Committee Member,听, Affective Design Technical Committee, 2006鈥2010
- ARC expert assessor for Discovery Projects peer review (since 2004)
- Member, Include Network, Royal College of Art, London (since 2004)
- Member, European Academy of Design (since 2001)
- Member, CIB/TG19: Designing for the Ageing Society (since 1998)
I also review for international journals and conferences, including Architectural Science Review, Ergonomics, Applied Ergonomics, International Journal of Design, and METU Journal of Architecture.
Selected public lectures and keynotes
- Keynote speaker, 鈥Designing for Life - Integrating People, Planet, and Possibility鈥, 10th International Academic Conference on Ecological Design: Integration 路 Co-Creation, Wuha, 2025
- Keynote speaker, 鈥淚nclusive and Participatory Design鈥, 5th UTAK National Design Research Conference, Ankara, 2022
- 91色情片 Meet the Professors, 鈥淏etter Life in Cities for All with Accessible and Inclusive Design鈥, 2019
- Meeting of the Minds professorial talks, 鈥淗ow Can Industrial Design Contribute to the Design of Better Cities for All?鈥
- Utzon Lecture Series, 鈥淐olliding Worlds: Health, Wellbeing, Design and Built Environments鈥, 2016
- COFA Talks, 鈥淎rt, Design and Healing鈥, 2011
听
Selected media and public communication
- Talking Architecture & Design podcast, , 2021
- Open Forum, 鈥,鈥 2019
- Architecture & Design, 鈥,鈥 2019
- 91色情片 Built Environment researcher profile video,
- Campus Morning Mail, , 2016
- The Sydney Morning Herald, , 2014
- ABC Radio National, The Comfort Zone, 鈥淯niversal Design and Accessibility in Design,鈥 2002
- BBC World Service interview, 鈥淪pecial Design Considerations Regarding the Elderly Population in Turkey,鈥 1998
My Research Supervision
Jie Meng, PhD (2022鈥損resent)听Friction with New Technologies: Designing Future Daily Products that Make Older People Feel Valued.听Primary supervisor, jointly with Demet Dincer
Danielah Martinez, PhD (2020鈥損resent)听Towards Inclusive Aging: Examining the Impact of Critical Design.听Joint supervisor with Katherine Moline as primary supervisor
David Schlosner, PhD (2020鈥2026, submitted and under review)听Enhancing Medical Data鈥檚 Potential Through Systematic Product Design.听Primary supervisor, jointly with Gonz Portas and Peter Brown
Completions:
Farnaz Fattahi, PhD (2021鈥2025)听Artist/Architect/Activist: Choreographing Scenarios of Collective Interaction.听Joint supervisor with Ainslie Murray as primary supervisor
Frederique Sunstrum, PhD (2018鈥2022)听Self-conceptual Perceptions on Design Language Semantics: A Case Study on Kitchen Appliances in a Cultural Context
Primary supervisor, jointly with Nicole Gardner
Peter Sweatman, PhD (2012鈥2019)听Evidence-based Bathroom Product Design: Creative Liveable Bathroom Environments for Older People
Co-supervisor with Catherine Bridges
Farzad Heyrani, Master鈥檚 by Research (2017鈥2021)听Assessing Contemporary Art Museums in Australia in terms of Interior Design Circulation and Success in Conveying Messages to Visitors. Primary supervisor, jointly with Bruce Watson
Phillippa Carnemolla, PhD (2012鈥2015)听Enabling Built Environments: Home Modification as a Substitute for Community Care.听Co-supervisor with Catherine Bridge
Li Xian, PhD (2008鈥2013)听E-waste and E-product Life Span in China.听Primary supervisor, jointly with Miles Park
Catharina Nawangpalupi, PhD (2005鈥2009)听Investigating the Usability and Pleasurability of Sustainable Product-service Systems.听Primary supervisor, jointly with Mariano Ramirez
Joanne Quinn, PhD (2003鈥2013)听A Home for All Ages: Design of the Home Environment for an Ageing Australian Population.听Main supervisor
Esra Demirel, Master鈥檚 by Research (1999鈥2001)听Solutions and Modifications Towards Design Deficiencies of Modular Kitchens in Turkey: Kayseri as a Case Study.听Middle East Technical University; joint supervisor with Guner Mutaf
听
- Supervised 22 Master of Science and Master of Industrial Design by Coursework theses between 2000 and 2005, with 21 completed successfully
- Supervised 90 Industrial Design Honours theses in the Bachelor of Industrial Design (Embedded Honours) program as sole supervisor between 2000 and 2026
My Teaching
I teach human factors in product design and design research methods, with a particular emphasis on inclusive design, participation, and the relationship between research and practice.
I also led the design and development of , 91色情片 Built Environment鈥檚 first MOOC on FutureLearn. Delivered between 2013 and 2016, the course engaged 9,169 participants from 60 countries and was later adapted as 91色情片鈥檚 General Education course BENV2000, extending its reach across and beyond design disciplines.