Working with Dr Gianni Corino (who is now the Director), and Anna Huang, I developed the CODEX international Postgraduate Research network, a unique PhD Programme,
CODEX is an international Postgraduate Research network operating in the volatile and dynamic space that frames new interdisciplinary art and design practices.
The Full-Time PhD consists of an 18-month Residency Period in the UK followed by a Mobility period in the collaborating institution.
The first link in the CODEX Research Network is the National Industrial Design Key Laboratory, JIANGNAN UNIVERSITY, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, China.
CODEX focuses on art and design practices that engage with social, cultural, economic, and environmental challenges and the new behaviours generated through the catalyst of technological innovation.
Sourced from an international community of designers and artists CODEX provides a critical, experimental and provocative environment for exploring material and immaterial influence on potential futures.
CODEX actively seeks to establish art and design practices that cultivate new transcultural, transdisciplinary perspectives on a complex world. It does this by nurturing innovation through practice-driven research and a synthesis of conventional and emergent methodologies.
The collaborative research framework cultivates a critical engagement with emergent art and design forms, practices and behaviours. It fosters a beneficial entanglement and reciprocity with other disciplines, communities and ecologies. In an attempt to unpick the easy rhetoric that surrounds ‘cross’, ‘inter’ and ‘trans’ disciplinarity it explores the difficulties of these marriages of inconvenience.
The impact of CODEX reaches far beyond the comfort zone of the creative and cultural industries to actively engage with science and technology agendas. It encourages entrepreneurial aspirations and supports industrial, commercial and community engagements through work placements, collaborations and residencies.
Context:
CODEX is a Full-Time practice-driven interdisciplinary PhD programme in the emergent fields of art, design, and technology. It is an internationally networked Postgraduate Research community under the governance of the University of Plymouth in collaboration with collaborating institutions.
STRUCTURE:
CODEX is sustained by a temporal, physical and virtual infrastructure that spans the network of institutional sites. This infrastructure supports the delivery of research training, career development, individual and collaborative research, tutorials, peer review, seminars and research updates. It consists of:
- CODEX Residency: This is the period In which students will be situated at each of the two institutions, comprising 50% of the PhD in the University of Plymouth (or satellite sites) and 50% in the collaborating University in China (or satellite sites). This period in residence will be augmented by participation in other research cluster activities and cultural visits.
- CODEX Lab: The Lab or studio space that CODEX research students will work in during their residency. This space requires access to and support of collaborative and individual design and fabrication activates.
- CODEX Composite Sessions: Sessions provide an intensive period where CODEX cohorts overlap and share their research and experiences. The sessions ensure that new knowledge is shared across the separate years of the community and provide a vehicle to support the Workshops and Symposia.
- CODEX Symposium: The annual public research conference/exhibition to support research dissemination to the wider research community, the public and for industrial engagement. The symposium will make use of a variety of spaces and sites, including networked and virtual environments. The Symposium also provides routes for further dissemination through a variety of digital and traditional publishing models.
- CODEX Workshops: Focused experimental design and production activates that adopt a variety of fabrication and technological methods to support experimentation and making, combined with critical theory to nurture reflexive praxis.
- CODEX Link: The Link supports communication across the research community through a variety of technologies, such as video conferencing, social media and virtual environments. This supports the management and supervisory meetings as well as collaborative projects and workshops between the UK and China. The Link also puts in place the framework to support a highly connected and interactive alumni involvement with the CODEX community.
- CODEX Tutorials: Tutorials are regular individual meetings between students and their supervisors.
- CODEX Research Network: The Network comprises each Research Laboratory or University that joins the CODEX programme to provide supervision and research facilities to support students during the Mobility period.
Residency/Mobility:
These activities break down over the 3 years as follows:
PROCESS:
Full-Time students and their supervisory team will be required to meet at least four times per year as stipulated in the University’s Research Degrees Handbook.
Normally these meetings will coincide with the CODEX Composite Sessions and tutorials, and supplemented through the CODEX Link. CODEX Composite Sessions and tutorials will include the assessment of research progress, research planning, and a review of personal skills development and public outputs of the research programme.
CODEX students follow the normal University of Plymouth Doctoral College procedures that include:
- Reporting on the progress of the research to the whole supervisory team at agreed and determined intervals between the student and the supervisors in accordance with the University’s logbook system (recorded in GradBook), but at least once every 4 months.
- Project Approval process (RDC1) in their first year of study (at 6 months of registration for Full Time) where an expert third party commentator who is not a member of that Student’s supervisory team would be assessing the academic content and quality of the proposed programme of work to ensure that it is set at the appropriate level and achievable within the timeframe provided.
- Confirmation of Route process (RDC2) in their second year of study (at 18 months of registration for Full Time students), a similar process to the RDC1 but with the aim (on successful conclusion) of student’s status transferring from an MPhil to a PhD.
- Subject to a Student’s satisfactory annual progress after the transfer to a PhD programme, submission of a thesis in English and satisfactory examination performance, CODEX Students will be eligible for the award of a PhD. Alternatively, Students may wish to submit for the MPhil award.
- A viva voce examination will take place on the University of Plymouth campus. The University of Plymouth will appoint an internal examiner and an external examiner (as nominated by the supervisory team) for each Student.
Schedule:
SUPERVISION:
Each CODEX student will have a First Supervisor (the Director of Studies), a mandatory Second supervisor and a Third Supervisor. Two supervisors will be from the University of Plymouth, including the Director of Studies) and one supervisor will be from the CODEX Research Network. The two or three supervisors will comprise the Student’s supervisory team.
Plymouth based CODEX supervisors are drawn from across the established research clusters in the School of Art, Design and Architecture, Jiangnan University based CODEX supervisors are drawn from across the established Research Centres in the School of Design, Nanjing University of the Arts based CODEX supervisors are drawn from Design, Media and Digital Art, Soochow University based CODEX supervisors are drawn from across the established Research Centres in the School of Architecture.
Research Proposal:
A student’s PhD journey begins with the application process. Students will apply to join CODEX with a Research Project proposal that maps out their intended research and must demonstrate their ability to engage in substantial research activity for the duration of their enrolment.
A research project proposal will typically be no longer than 4 x A4 pages (Arial 11 point font), and include:
- Research Project Title
- Outline of the general topic or area of research;
- Explanation of key terms and references;
- Indicative research questions or identification of the problem;
- The disciplinary field or fields in which the research will contribute to;
- The context and disciplinary field(s) in which the research sits;
- The significance and potential impact of the research;
- Proposed research methodology and why (ie, how this will answer your research questions);
- References and identification of relevant literature, practitioners, and influential works.
- A portfolio representing relevant creative skills and practice.
This infrastructure underpins students’ research training and provides a critical awareness of different interdisciplinary methodological approaches and ethics. The training ensures they are able to:
- Plan an appropriate research project and apply effective project management, setting of research goals, milestones and prioritisation of activities;
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of relevant research methodologies and techniques as well as their appropriate application within your research field, using appropriate library, bibliography and IT skills;
- Summarise, document, report and reflect on research progress through appropriate modes of communication;
- Demonstrate self-awareness, motivation and the ability to identify personal development and training needs;
- Research, record, author, present, disseminate and archive research activities.
Critically, methods training will synthesise a broad range of methodologies from pertinent disciplines. This will enhance students’ research and nurture new transdisciplinary perspectives and collaborations. This type of training also amplifies research impact by ensuring heightened disciplinary literacy and articulation.
Students also engage with the generic training provision provided for Arts & Humanities students at the University of Plymouth delivered through the School of Art, Design and Architecture and Doctoral College.
Post-Doc/Practitioners:
CODEX also supports Post-Doctoral researchers and professional artists and designers in residence.
APPLICATION:
We will work with you to develop a final Research Project proposal which will typically be no longer than 4 x A4 pages (Arial 11 point font), and include:
- Research Project Title
- Outline of the general topic or area of research;
- Explanation of key terms and references;
- Indicative research questions or identification of the problem;
- The context and disciplinary field(s) in which the research sits and will contribute to;
- The significance and potential impact of the research;
- Proposed research methodology and why (ie, how this will answer your research questions);
- References and identification of relevant literature, practitioners, and influential works.
- Ethical and intellectual property issues.
- A portfolio representing relevant creative skills and practice.
Interviews will be held by video conference or in person in China.
Your outline Research Proposal will then be discussed to define a final Research Proposal and full application through the University of Plymouth PGR Application process.
Your supervisory team will also be organised for an enrolment in October of each academic year.
Pre-sessional English Language Courses:
The CODEX international Postgraduate Research network requires IELTS 6.5.
The University of Plymouth offers Pre-sessional English Language Courses to help you develop your academic English language skills.
CODEX Management:The CODEX Full Time PhD programme will operate between the CODEX Research Network and the University of Plymouth, with students spending 50% of their time in the UK and the remainder in China.
The CODEX Director will have ultimate responsibility for all aspects of the CODEX collaboration and be responsible for Students’ progress and welfare as well as the academic requirements of supervision.
The CODEX Director will be supported by the local Research Lab/University Manager who will be based in the partner institution. The CODEX [local Research Lab/University] Manager will be responsible for the organisation and administration of sessions, workshops and symposiums and student supervision schedules in China.
This management process falls under the governance of the School of Art, Design and Architecture in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities as well as the Doctoral College at the University of Plymouth.
CODEX JACS Code: J990 / W990
NETWORK:
The CODEX Network currently comprises:
School of Design, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China:
The School of Design, Jiangnan University, formerly known as Molding Department of Wuxi Institute of Light Industry in 1960, is one of the institute with longest history of Chinese modern design education and one of the earliest design program in China. According to the latest evaluation(2012) of the Ministry of Education, School of Design at Jiangnan University ranks No. 4 in Design discipline in China.
The school is granted for System Design and Theory Doctoral Programs, Design Theory Master Programs, Fine Arts Master Programs, and Professional Master’s Programs in Industrial Design Master of Engineering and Master of Fine Arts (MFA); in the meantime, there are product design, industrial design, visual communication design, environmental design, public art and fine arts undergraduate programs. It is a large design school with more than 2000 students and 140 faculty, including more than 70% of the faculty has a PhD or Masters degree and many of them are selected in the national and international key program.
CODEX draws on the research expertise and resources of two National Research Centres:
Research Centre I:
China National Light Industry Key Laboratory of Industrial Design.
China Light Industry Laboratory is an important part of the innovation system of light industry of science and technology in China. It sets up a platform to make advanced scientific research, to gather and cultivate high-quality talents, and to carry out high-level academic exchanges, and finally, to promote the transformation of scientific and technological achievements. Established in 2016, the Key Laboratory of Industrial Design at Jiangnan University was one of the first identified as China Light Industrial Key Laboratory, committing to integrate the innovative genes and key technologies of industrial design with industry, so as to enhance the innovative design ability and brand competitiveness of the industry.
The Laboratory has the first class experiment place. The existing experimental area is nearly 5000 square meters, consisting of advanced manufacturing lab（3D print and laser cut）, transport lab, ergonomic lab, interactive design lab, etc. The main objectives of the Laboratory are to do design research and provide industrial design services. The research and design practice areas include consumer electronics, home appliances, interactive and user experience design, user research and human factors engineering, design strategy, light industrial equipment, instrument and equipment, health care.
The Laboratory has long-term cooperation with enterprises like Haier, HUAWEI, Alibaba and Midea. There are large amounts of research projects and products development every year, involving strategic planning, industrial design, structure improvement, software application, service design and so on. Relying on various types of experimental instruments, the research team transforms a large number of research achievements and gets fruitful design practice.
Research Centre II:
Experience Design Frontier Methodology and Technology Innovation Research Centre.
In the era of experience economy and service economy, the Experience Design Frontier Methodology and Technology Innovation Research Centre sets up three main research directions with the understanding of the overall industry trends and frontiers of design discipline.
Product Service System and Experience Design Strategy. In the context of changing social form and technology, this direction aims to build a model of user experience by systematic thinking, and focuses on health problems to establish effective design strategies and methods of collaborative design practice. A sustainable revolution will be led by human and social innovation, which means everyone can understand and participate in social innovation in an easy way. So, this direction will set up the theory and method supporting for sustainable social innovation.
Experience Design Method of Urban Human Settlement System. Combined with new problems of urban residential environment system of the new era, this direction focuses on urban residential system, urban spatial form, spatial information technology and environmental behaviour, and carries out research on cooperation.
Methods and Techniques of Intelligent Interactive Experience. Aiming at stroke-induced hemiplegia patients, this direction set up and verify a new type of gait rehabilitation training robot based on the newly proposed theory of motor nerve coupling of upper and lower limps, and provides a strengthening auxiliary function of grabbing. This robot will be an effective means for the majority of patients in need of gait rehabilitation and life agility.
The research centre is expected to produce a number of innovative achievements with international vision and Chinese characteristics. Moreover, through the worldwide cooperation with famous experts and scholars, a new model of international-joint talents training can be formed. In the end, our aim is to promote the development of the “frontier method and technology of experience design” in the domestic design discipline, and enhance the level of research and international influence.
December 2017, Jiangnan University.
Professor Zhang Linghao, Dean of the School of Design Jiangnan University and Professor Mike Phillips at the CODEX signing ceremony.
[/column]
You must be logged in to post a comment.