Erika Conchis

Biography

My work explores the development of new research methods for the analysis and presentation of, typically hard to translate, qualitative data related to social and societal factors (i.e. climate change and urban health).  I use a design anthropology approach andemploy materials and participatory processes with the aim of creating engagement with the public, researchers and policy makers. 

My PhD work is rooted in collaborative, interdisciplinary and creative practices to research climate actions in cities. I am developing a design-based research method to research and present the role of multiple, messy and overlooked narratives of climate actions in urban spaces. To prototype this method, I work in collaboration with researchers across different disciplines, such as climate governance, urban studies, geography and biology. 

Academic and professional qualifications

MA (Hons), (Graphic) Design, Manchester Sheffield Hallam University 

Master’s Degree (Hons), Project Management & International Relations, Université de Bretagne Sud

Bachelor’s Degree (Hons), Economics and Business Administration, Université de Rouen

Research Output

Conchis, E., Westman L., and Castán Broto, V. (In Press) ‘Life Bio-graphics: Design-based exploratory research for methodological innovation in urban climate governance research’. Environment & Planning F: Philosophy, Theory, Models, Methods and Practice

Conchis, E. (2024) Researching Climate through Design. Design Management Journal19(1): 66-77. doi.org/10.1111/dmj.12097

Principal Guest Editor: Castán Broto, V., Co-editors: Coutard, O., Soriani, S., and Conchis, E. What planetary boundaries mean for cities, regions, and infrastructures, Special Issue (Under Review) Territory, Politics, Governance

LUDeC Connections

My PhD work is rooted in collaborative, interdisciplinary and creative practices to research climate actions in cities.  

My practice is (graphic) design and throughout my PhD I collaborated with researchers at the Urban Institute (University of Sheffield), which has been helpful to get feedback on my work and to develop a design-research framework in the context of research for climate and social justice in cities. 

This collaboration has been key to experiment and prototype the design-based research method I developed called Life bio-graphics. To reflect on this process, I led on a paper co-authored with Prof Vanesa Castán Broto and Dr Linda Westman, currently in minor revision for Sage Environment and Planning F (Philosophy, Theory, Models, Methods and Practice). 

To ground this prototyped method in the existing literature, I developed a framework on how ‘design-based research’ methods can be characterised in the paper ‘Researching Climate through Design’ (in Wiley’s Design Management Journal). 

To test this prototyped research method, I co-organised and facilitated with microbiologists (Sheffield Hallam University) a series of creative workshops in community centres across Sheffield. Through these sessions we collectively created a textile piece and exchanged about biology (including antimicrobial resistance and climate change), healthcare access and how where we live impacts our health. The textile piece will be exposed in Sheffield galleries (i.e Live Late at Millenium Gallery and Graves Gallery) and we are working on a paper to be submitted at the Journal of the Microbiology Society. 

Contact Information

Erika.conchis@stu.mmu.ac.uk