Thomas van Arkel

I am Thomas van Arkel, a design/researcher from Rotterdam who works at the intersection of design and research for societal change.

Currently PhD candidate at TU Delft

About me

I’m a designer and researcher working at the Delft University of Technology. As a designer and researcher I try to understand how designers can foster systemic change in society through the act of design. I do this on the one hand by integrating various fields of research to understand and support the design process, and on the other hand by working on real-world social issues by turning theory into concrete design artefacts. In my free time I am an avid collector of books and records—as well as reading and listening 🎵 to them.

Work in progress

I am currently finalising several projects, among them a project A precarious equilibrium ↗︎ where we explore a new approach to interactions between professionals and people with temporary disability benefits, focusing on self-awareness and collaborative decision-making to stimulate a more sustainable road to employment. Next to that I am finishing an article on Defining design practices for societal challenges ↗︎ where we explore the repertoire that designers bring to the table when working on complex societal issues.