Course Leader / Senior Lecturer

BA (Hons) Interior Design

MA Interior Design

Timothy joined the HBU-University of Lancashire's School of Media, Communication, and Creative Industries as a Senior Lecturer and Course Leader in Interior & Environmental Design in 2016. Prior to this role, he served as a design director/associate at several prestigious multi-national architectural and spatial design firms across the Asia-Pacific region for over 25 years.

Timothy began his design journey in Hong Kong, earning a Diploma of Design from the Hong Kong Design Institution in 1992. He furthered his education at the Edinburgh College of Art (University of Edinburgh), obtaining a Master of Design in Design and Applied Arts in 2003.

As a practicinginteriorarchitect and space planner, Timothy has led numerous high-profile design consultancy projects, including five-star hotels, corporate buildings, exclusive clubhouses, shopping malls, and large-scale projects across Asia-Pacific, North America, the UK, and major Chinese cities. Recognizing the ongoing demand in the design industry and the gap between design education and industry expectations, Timothy committed himself to bridging this divide through research-informed practice.

Driven by his passion for nurturing future design talent, Timothy initiated research focused on designer training to align educational outcomes with industry needs. He pursued doctoral studies at Edinburgh Napier University's Business School, completing his Doctor of Business and Administration in 2017.

Since 2016, Timothy has been instrumental in designing and refining the BA and MA Interior & Environmental Design programs. Guided by his DBA research, he ensures these programs are uniquely structured and well-equipped to address the dynamic challenges students will encounter in their careers.

Current research topics and directions

Timothy is leading the teaching team to explore ways to enhance the creative design process. This includes:

1) Investigating a transitional tool that integrates manual and digital sketching during the idea generation phase, aiming to bridge the gap in digitizing manual design data and facilitate a smooth transition from idea sketching to digital design development.

2) Studying the patterns and relationships in creative thinking through the use of manual techniques and AI tools, and examining how these can impact design education and future applications.

Current design consultancy project

Feasibility proposal for transforming an old shipyard into an exclusive marina club as part of the Environmental Planning and Renovation Project for the South Bund riverside area in Shanghai.