20152025

Research activity per year

Personal profile

Biography

Melisa is a Research Fellow at the FUTURES Hub at the Emerging Technologies Research Lab, Monash University. Her works sits at the intersection of Design Anthropology, Participatory Design and Everyday Design. Melisa is particularly interested in two areas of research. Designing for revaluing, and design for intergenerational and ageing wellbeing. 

Her recent book Designing Homeliness: Everyday Practices of Care (Routledge, 2024), brings together experiences from her past 10 years working with design ethnographic approaches in areas of circular economy (e.g. repair and reuse in charity sector); with smart home technologies (for aged at home services in rural areas), and in contexts of care (e.g. Mental health units). Melisa’s interdisciplinary work is featured in the ethnographic film Smart Homes for Seniors

Melisa has a PhD from the School of Design at RMIT, a Masters of Design (by research) from Monash University, and she was trained as an Industrial Designer at Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana (UPB) in Medellin, Colombia. She has done design teaching at these three Universities and Design Schools.

Diseñadora e investigadora colombiana viviendo en Naarm, Melbourne, Australia. Interesada en practicas de diseño cotidiano para la revaluación y el bienestar. Trabajando actualmente con temas de salud, tecnología y revaluación.

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  • SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
  • SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities
  • SDG 13 - Climate Action

Education/Academic qualification

Design Research, Doctor in Philosophy, Everyday Designing for Revaluing, RMIT University

Award Date: 27 Sept 2018

Research area keywords

  • design research
  • design anthropology
  • ethnographic practice
  • everyday design
  • sustainable design
  • design ethnography
  • emerging technologies
  • design for revaluing

Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or