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
In my PhD research I adopt a co-evolutionary, practice-based and impact-driven approach. I combine two ways of doing research in praxis: by collaborating with partners from design practice on the implementation and institutionalisation of their design interventions; and consciously exploring the research topic in a project where we aim to transform an organisational practice within UWV by continuing to develop, implement and institutionalise an intervention developed previously in
A precarious equilibrium
↗︎
.
Publications
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What do designers bring to the table?
2024 -
Een ontwerpende aanpak voor maatschappelijke opgaven: waar hebben we het over?
2023 -
Bouwen aan synergetische samenwerkingen
2023 -
IDOLS* Langetermijneffecten—Sociale innovatie met de culturele en creatieve sector
2022 -
Designing appropriate things
2022