Dr Joseph Langley

Dr Joseph Langley PhD, MEng

Engineering Design Research Fellow
Art & Design Research Centre
E-mail j.langley@shu.ac.uk
Phone: 0114 225 6753
Fax: 0114 225 6931

One of my roles in Lab4Living is to create research proposals for a range of projects inline with our philosophy. I work on the management team for Lab4Living dealing with strategic, oversight, resourcing and marketing issues besides exploring innovative applications and methods for the Lab4Livings technology, such as its motion capture system and high speed video.

My own research has elements of both social and environmental sustainability, incorporating issues such as usability or accessibility (inclusive design and engineering), and waste or recycling. I have a special interest in the area of how the ‘green agenda’ may be affected by the aging population. Areas of application include ‘living environments’, ‘openability and usability’ particularly but not exclusively relating to packaging, ‘access to recycling and waste services’ and ‘analysing consumption, transition to waste and disposal’.

As an engineer based in an Art and Design Research Centre, I have worked on many interdisciplinary and even transdisciplinary teams and even on projects aimed at promoting interdisciplinary research. I am a firm believer in the benefits, strengths and richness of interdisciplinarity work and hence I am always looking to facilitate the breakdown of any barriers to such work be they infrastructure, communication or motivation.

What inspires and motivates me?

The area and setting in which I live and work – Sheffield, the Peak District and Yorkshire. I am inspired by the beauty of the hills, valleys and moors of this region, the variation between gentle, rolling and rugged, gritty landscapes in both rural and urban areas. I am inspired by the aesthetical beauty and strength, both structural and architectural, of the work of the great Victorian engineers – their bridges and buildings, from terraced housing to city halls, old factory works and majestic rail viaducts.

In my work I am inspired by hands – their use and ability to communicate or express emotions, thoughts and stories. Their use in daily activities, their creativity and subtlety, their strength and gentleness. Old, knurled, weathered hands that have ‘seen’, communicated, touched and felt so much. Small, young, soft hands that are so busy investigating everything, feeding information, communicating, seeking, grasping and gripping. Hands are a part of our front line for communication and expression, action and activity, support and comfort.

Finally, I am inspired by my children. The words don’t exist to express this fully but being able to observe the growth, learning and development process at close quarters is a constant source of amazement, inspiration and joy. My daughter faces all her challenges with such a cheerful, inquisitive and indomitable spirit, that I, albeit through rose tinted spectacles, can only admire and smile. The relationship she is establishing with her little brother is a fair ground of variety yet underpinned by a desire to care and help, although sometimes, without the knowledge of relative strength, robustly delivered!