C12.M1 Becoming a Creative Researcher in Academia

Course description:

Do you need to be creative to be a good and successful researcher? Can you be creative about conducting research in any given topic? Is it practical to research creatively?
Whether you are working in more established or more exploratory research fields, doing research creatively requires the assertiveness to try different things, to take (calculated) risks and to not be afraid of failing – this might lead you to the discovery of novel things and ways of working. Ultimately, being a creative researcher entails the exercise of individual skills, as well as the proactive participation in the research culture and community you belong. These and some other issues, regarding the role of creativity in any kind of research, will be addressed in this workshop where strategies to become more creative, and also more successful, will be discussed.

Learning objectives:

The workshop encompasses, but is not limited to, the following objectives:

• knowing how to use communication as a source of inspiration and creativity;
• how to actively participate in your most immediate research culture, and how to take advantage of that;
• how to ‘manage’ your supervisory team so you can safely develop your ability to become a creative researcher;
• how to go beyond creativity and become a successful researcher.

Teaching method:

The workshop will be an interactive session where facts and ideas on how to develop and incorporate creativity practices in your research will be further explored through several creative activities and group discussions.

Course Enrolment

If you would like to enrol in this course, please fill out the "Course Enrolment Form" and e-mail this to graduateschool@remove-this.tudelft.nl. If you would like to take more than one course, please fill out one form per course. Enrolment forms stating more than one course will not be processed.

Please note that:

• Enrolment is on a first-come, first-served basis;
• We will only accept your enrolment if you are able to attend the entire course.
• If the course is already fully booked, we will place you on a waiting list. We will contact you if a space becomes available. In the meantime, we recommend that you check the website regularly to see if a new session has been planned.

About the Lecturer(s)/Coach(es)

Petra is a Full Professor heading the Design Theory and Methodology group at the Product Innovation Management Department, Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, TU Delft. Petra holds a PhD in Groups and Complex problems. Her research interests include some of the following topics: teamwork, creativity, problem-solving and mental models in design.
Petra teaches topics such as: Design Theory and Methodology, Research in Design, Creating in Project Teams, etc.

Carlos is an Assistant Professor with the Design Theory and Methodology group at the Product Innovation Management Department, Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering. His research focus on creative problem solving during idea generation, with special emphasis on how designers search for inspiration and how the variety of stimuli around them influences their creative processes. He has a background in Industrial Design, and teaches topics such as Creating in Project Teams, Group Dynamics in Design, Design Theory and Methodology, Creative Facilitation, etc. Carlos did his PhD and worked as a Research Associate at the University of Cambridge (UK); where his research focused on the development of design tools within the theme of user-centred design.