Pras Gunasekera
Title
Research Fellow
College
University of the Arts London
Email address
Tags
Researcher Research

Biography
I am a design educator, researcher and strategist. After graduating from MA Industrial Design at Central Saint Martins (UAL), I co-founded Bidean, a more than profit enterprise in design and mental health and subsequently spent 18 months co-setting up a design studio at HMP Thameside to co-deliver Makeright, a design thinking for prison industries course. I have co-written the chapter ‘Understanding Suicide and Assisted Dying – Why Is ‘Design for Death’ Tricky?’ with Professor Lorraine Gamman in the recent book ‘Tricky Design: The Ethics of Things’.I am currently a Senior lecturer at CODE: University of Applied Sciences, a Research Fellow on the Erasmus + Fuel4Design project and Academic Support tutor at Central Saint Martins (UAL), where I am also a Research Associate with the Design Against Crime Research Centre.
I'm a self-motivated and enthusiastic professional with over 10 years combined experience in advertising, design, higher education, management consultancy, social innovation and events and exhibitions. More than 3 years experience designing and facilitating small and large scale workshops focused on staff development and cultural engagement. Experience in working with medium to large international client organisations, which has fostered a deep understanding of diverse cultural and business practices. A highly organised, skilled communicator with a proven track record of successful client relationship and project management.
Grants and awards
(Figures indicate amount awarded to UAL)
- Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, Erasmus+ Programme, Strategic Partnership in Higher Education institutions, €450.00, (2019-2022)
- Erasmus+ - Key Action 2 - Knowledge Alliances, Open Design and Manufacturing: OD&M, €984.86, (2017-2019)
Research Outputs
Book Section
- Gamman L, Gunasekera P. Understanding Suicide and Assisted Dying – Why “Design for Death” is Tricky? (2019)
Report
- Malpass M, Thorpe A, Follows C, Read T, Haywood P, Munro Kerr R, Griffith C, Gunasekera P. Open Design and Manufacturing: UAL Overview