Lara Salinas
design researcher and educator, co-director
Service Futures Lab
University of the Arts London
Bio
Dr Lara Salinas is a design researcher and educator, and co-director of Service Futures Lab at London College of Communication, University of the Arts London. She leads research on design for place-based climate action in a range of different projects across sectors. With over a decade in academia, she has played a pioneering role in shaping knowledge exchange in the creative disciplines.
Lara is also director of SoRA-DASH, a support service to increase the Societal Readiness Levels of green mobility innovations; and founder of PNK Garden, a place-making initiative in central London. Lara’s work has been recognised nationally and internationally by relevant sector bodies such as the OECD Observatory for Public Sector Innovation, Joint Research Centre European Commission, UKRI/AHRC, Department for Transport, Connected Places Catapult, Design Council, Nesta, UK Policy Lab, DEFRA Design Policy Lab, UK Policy Design Profession.
In the past she has been AHRC Research Fellow in Public Service, Postdoctoral Research Fellow on Public Collaboration Lab, Postdoctoral Research Fellow on Pharma Factory. She completed her PhD at Imagination Lancaster, Lancaster University in 2016, in one of the four hubs for knowledge exchange in the creative disciplines (AHRC 2012-2016), exploring the impact of public services on placemaking. She trained in fine arts and new media art.