Role
Dr Luke Siena is a Senior Lecturer in Product Design within the School of Architecture, Design & the Built Environment at Nottingham Trent University. He teaches across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes including BA/BSc and MA/MSc Product Design and supervises students at undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels. Alongside teaching, he actively supports research projects and the development of early career researchers.
Dr Siena’s research spans product design, sustainability and design education, with a strong focus on design for health and wellbeing and medical device deisgn. He conducts applied and translational research in medical device and medical product design, working closely with engineers, clinicians and industry partners. He is a member of the Medical Engineering Design Research Group and the Product Innovation Centre at NTU, contributing to interdisciplinary research with real-world impact.
Dr Siena's expertise includes medical device engineering, smart materials and technologies, additive manufacturing and 3D printing, emerging design technologies, and the assessment and measurement of health outcomes. Dr Siena completed his PhD in 2019, which focused on the use of smart materials and technologies in emergency airway access devices for critical care.
Dr Siena has been involved in externally funded research supported by organisations such as Innovate UK and the National Institute for Health and Care Research and continue to look for future collaboration opportunities. Dr Siena currently supervises PhD projects across product design and engineering topics, including AI–human collaboration, medical technologies, sustainable product systems and design education/design practice.
Career overview
Since completing his PhD in 2019, Dr Siena has continued to develop an academic career through interdisciplinary research, industry engagement, and doctoral supervision. Following his role as a Research Fellow in Medical Product Design, Dr Siena transitioned into the role as a Senior Lecturer in Product Design at Nottingham Trent University. In this role, Dr Siena has expanded his responsibilities beyond undergraduate supervision to include postgraduate and doctoral supervision, externally funded research, and cross-school collaboration within NTU. Dr Siena has attained a Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in HE (PGLTHE) and Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) (2022).
Dr Siena is an active member of the Medical Engineering Design Research Group and also contributes to research activity within the Product Innovation Centre, working closely with clinicians, engineers, and industrial partners on translational research projects in healthcare and product innovation. His research activity has attracted external funding from organisations including Innovate UK and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), supporting projects with demonstrable clinical and industrial impact. More recently, Dr Siena has been involved in the supervision of funded PhD projects addressing medical device design, AI–human collaboration in design, emerging digital design practices, sustainable design and intelligent product systems.
Research areas
Dr Siena's research interests include medical device design and engineering, 3D printing, emerging technologies and materials, product development, smart systems, sustainable design, design education and the accurate assessment and measurement of health outcomes.
Dr Siena has received research funding for the following projects in collaboration with numerous partners both at NTU and externally:
- Medical Technologies & Advanced Materials Research Theme - Nottingham Trent University Springboard/Pump Priming Fund - Co-Investigator - A Novel Steerable Bougie: Design, Manufacture and Testing of An Advanced Prototype - February 2021 - July 2021.
- National Institute for Health and Care Research - i4i Product Development Awards (PDA) - Breakaway Chest Drain Valve (Reference: NIHR204562). - Co-Investigator - April 2023 - September 2025.
- Ataxia – Telangiectasia Pump Priming Funding - University Of Nottingham / Action For A-T - Virtual Reality Based Therapy For Ataxia – Telangiectasia Patients - Co-Investigator - July 2023 - December 2023.
- British Council - Springboard Programme for UK-Germany ECR Partnerships - September 2024
- Knowledge Transfer Partnership: Nottingham Trent University & Stormsaver Limited (2025-26 Round 2)
- Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council FTMA - Biofilm Risk Mapping & Microbial Safety Assessment of the Breakaway Chest Drain Valve (May 2026)
Dr Siena currently supervises PhD students across a range of interdisciplinary research areas ranging from product/industrial design, engineering, sustainability, and MedTech/healthcare. His doctoral supervision in medical device design focuses on the design and development of innovative medical and healthcare technologies, often involving close collaboration with clinicians, engineers, and industry partners to address real-world clinical needs and regulatory constraints.
Dr Siena has supported numerous PhD students in with their studies ranging from self funded, fully funded and match funded doctoral research. Recent examples include PhD research exploring closed loop pressure system monitoring to alleviate the effects of pressure related Injuries within the perioperative environment; PhD research exploring how product design, user behaviour, and service-based systems can contribute to more sustainable forms of consumption. This includes research into circular design strategies, shared ownership models, product–service systems, and the role of design in enabling behavioural change and reducing environmental impact. Support has also been provided in relation to doctoral research into novel heat pump systems and energy consumption, with projects examining the design, user interaction, and performance of low‑carbon energy technologies. This work combines product and systems design, engineering analysis, and user‑centred research methods to improve efficiency, user adoption, and real‑world energy outcomes. More recently Dr Siena supports PhD research that focusses on artificial intelligence to investigate the effects of urban environments and building design on outdoor air quality, integrating computational methods with design‑led and environmental analysis to address key sustainability and public health challenges.
Dr Siena will shortly commence supervision of new doctoral projects focused on augmenting design and speculative processes for AI–human collaboration; the design and development of next‑generation intelligent rainwater harvesting systems; and an exploration of human factors and design-led assessment in operating theatre environments. Across all PhD projects, Dr Siena actively promotes applied, practice‑led, and interdisciplinary research approaches that seek to deliver both academic impact and value for industry, healthcare practice, and society.
External activity
Dr Siena is currently a member of the following professional bodies and institutions:
- Member Of Institution of Engineering Designers (MIED)
- Member Of Institution of Engineering and Technology (MIET)
- Member Of Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining (MIMMM)
- Affiliate Fellow Of Chartered Society Of Designers (aCSDf)
- Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
In recent years, Dr Siena has acted as an expert reviewer for The Journal Of Health Design, Rapid Prototyping Journal, International Orthodontics Journal, Materials Journal, International Journal Of Environmental Research & Public Health, Additive Manufacturing Meets Medicine Conferences, amongst others. Dr Siena is also a Editorial Panel Member for the Journal Of Health Design
Dr Siena is also an external reviewer for the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) for the NIHR i4i FAST (Funding At the Speed of Translation) and the NIHR i4i Product Development Awards.
Sponsors and collaborators
Dr Siena has worked with or is currently working with the following institutions, charities, research funding bodies and commercially based companies on research projects:
- Aberystwyth University.
- Action For A-T
- Kimal PLC
- Health Innovation East Midlands.
- National Institute for Health research, Invention for Innovation (i4i) programme.
- Nottingham University Hospital Trust (NUH).
- The Centre for Healthcare Equipment & Technology Adoption (CHEATA).
- University of Nottingham (UoN).
Publications
Selected Research Publications
WONG, C., WRIGHT, J., SIENA, F. L., BREEDON, P., HEWSON, D. W., & BEED, M. (2026). What is the best way to secure a chest drain? A scoping review. Journal of the Intensive Care Society.
RAVINDRA, N., Al-HABAIBEH, A., & SIENA, F. L. (2026). Blue-green infrastructure and cleaner air: a systematic literature review for the UK. Future Cities and Environment, 11.
DOMINGUES, A. R., YAKAR‐PRITCHARD, G., MAZHAR, M. U., SIENA, F. L., & BULL, R. (2025). The impact of project‐based learning on student knowledge exchange for sustainability: the case for university–business collaborations. Higher Education Quarterly, 79(3), e7002
BAI, J., SUN, M., SHIN, H. D., & SIENA, F. L. (2025). A comparative study of collaborative consumption between China and the UK. Cogent Business & Management, 12(1), 2470113.
FARR, W. J., McGREVEY, S., BREEDON, P., WEI, Y., SIENA, L., STARKEY, J., & MALE, I. 2024. External fine motor markers of neurodivergence: pilot results of the TangiBall. The 15th International Conference on Disability, Virtual Reality and Associated Technologies. Proceedings. (pp. 53-55). (ICDVRAT 2024), Prague, Czech Republic
CHAUHAN, P., SIENA, F. L., LUGODA, P., SURI, M., LOGAN, P., TURNER, A., LION, A., HARRIS, R., & BREEDON, P. 2024. Development of an immersive virtual reality (VR) system to improve the quality of rehabilitation for paediatric ataxia telangiectasia (A-T) patients. The 15th International Conference on Disability, Virtual Reality and Associated Technologies. Proceedings. (pp. 135-137). (ICDVRAT 2024), Prague, Czech Republic
SIZER, N. D., DALBERT, C., LOESER, S., WEI, Y., FLEISCHER, J., STARK, P., SIENA, F., & BREEDON, P. 2024. Design and development of a novel positioning device used to monitor pressure over the iliac crest of patients in the prone position using pattern recognition to highlight at risk patients intra-operatively. Global Spine Journal, 14(4 supp), 597s.
SIZER, N. D., DALBERT, C., LOESER, S., WEI, Y., FLEISCHER, J., STARK, P., SIENA, F., & BREEDON, P. 2024. Smart textile pressure sensor matrices - investigation of sensor characteristics for use in the surgical environment. Engineering Proceedings, 52(1), 19.
WRIGHT, J., SIENA, F.L., BEED, M., GAO, L. and BREEDON, P., 2023. Design, 3D printing, and validation of a breakaway chest drain valve. Transactions on Additive Manufacturing Meets Medicine, 5(1).
WALIA, K., SIENA, L., BOSZCZYK, B. and BREEDON, P., 2023. Additive manufacturing of bespoke laminar plates for robotic spinal surgery. Transactions on Additive Manufacturing Meets Medicine, 5(1), pp.795-795.
FRYETT, G., SIENA, F.L., WATKINS, M. and BREEDON, P., 2022. Development of a bespoke 3D printed spinal brace for lumbar support. The Journal of Health Design, 7(2), pp.486-495.
JONES, G., SIENA, F.L., WATKINS, M. and BREEDON, P., 2021. Development of a PPE visor for female healthcare workers. The Journal of Health Design, 6(3).
GARVEY, E., SHIPLEY, J., SIENA, F.L., WATTS, P. and WATKINS, M., 2021. Postable peak flow meters: Improving remote patient monitoring from the home. Journal of Health Design, 6(3), pp.448-453.
SIENA, F.L., VERNON, M., WATTS, P., BYROM, B., CRUNDALL, D. and BREEDON, P., 2020. Proof-of-Concept Study: A Mobile Application to Derive Clinical Outcome Measures from Expression and Speech for Mental Health Status Evaluation. Journal of medical systems, 44(12), pp.1-9.
ALMAHADIN, G., LOTFI, A., ZYSK., SIENA, F.L., McCARTHY, M., BREEDON, P., 2020. Parkinson’s disease: current assessment methods and wearable devices for evaluation of movement disorder motor symptoms - a patient and healthcare professional perspective. BMC Neurology 20, 419.
SIZER, N.D., SIENA, F.L., BOSZCZYK, B. and BREEDON, P., 2020. Monitoring and alleviating the effects of pressure related injuries for spinal surgery–a need for improvement?. The Journal of Health Design, 5(2), pp.280-292.
JINDAL, P., WORCESTER, F., SIENA, F.L., FORBES, C., JUNJEA, M. and BREEDON, P., 2020. Mechanical behaviour of 3D printed vs thermoformed clear dental aligner materials under non-linear compressive loading using FEM. Journal of the mechanical behavior of biomedical materials, 112, p.104045.
SIENA, F., VERNON, M., WATTS, P., CRUNDALL, D., BRYOM, B., MOWLEM, F. and BREEDON, P., 2020. PMH6 deriving clinical outcome measures from expression and speech: results of a proof of concept study. Value in Health, 23(Supp 1), pp.S200-S201.
JINDAL, P., JUNEJA, M., BAJAJ, D., SIENA, F.L. and BREEDON, P., 2020. Effects of post-curing conditions on mechanical properties of 3D printed clear dental aligners. Rapid Prototyping Journal.
JINDAL, P., JUNJEA, M., SIENA, F.L., BAJAJ, D. and BREEDON, P., 2019. Mechanical and geometric properties of thermoformed and 3D printed clear dental aligners. American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, 156(5), pp.694-701.
SIENA, F.L., BYROM, B., WATTS, P. and BREEDON, P., 2018. Utilising the Intel RealSense camera for measuring health outcomes in clinical research. Journal of Medical Systems, 42 (3): 53. ISSN 0148-5598
SIENA, F.L., BREEDON, P., ARMSTRONG, J., INKPIN, K., NORRIS, A. and WATTS, P., 2018. Performance analysis system for endotracheal tube introducers: standardising for success. Journal of Health Design, 3 (3), pp. 129-134. ISSN 2206-785X
SIENA, F.L., BREEDON, P., ARMSTRONG, J., WATTS, P., INKPIN, K. and NORRIS, A., 2018. Mechanical performance assessment system for endotracheal tube introducers using motion detection and object tracking. In: IADIS International Conference: Computer Graphics, Visualization, Computer Vision and Image Processing 2018, Madrid, Spain, 18-20 July 2018.
SIENA, F.L., BYROM, B., WATTS, P. and BREEDON, P., 2018. Usability assessment of facial tracking for use in clinical outcomes. In: IADIS International Conference: Interfaces and Human Computer Interaction 2018, Madrid, Spain, 18-20 July 2018.
SIENA, F., BREEDON, P., ARMSTRONG, J., MARSH, P. and WATTS, P., 2017. Performance analysis for difficult airway equipment: standardising for success. Journal of Health Design, 2 (4), pp. 39-41. ISSN 2206-785X
BREEDON, P., SIENA, F. and ARMSTRONG, J., 2017. Tracheal intubation: improving first pass success with smart material solutions. The Journal of Health Design, 2 (3), pp. 15-18. ISSN 2206-785X
BREEDON, P., BYROM, B., SIENA, L. and MUEHLHAUSEN, W., 2016. Enhancing the measurement of clinical outcomes using Microsoft Kinect. In: Proceedings of the 2016 International Conference on Interactive Technologies and Games: EduRob in conjunction with iTAG 2016: iTAG 2016, Nottingham, 26-27 October 2016. Los Alamitos, CA: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, pp. 61-69. ISBN 9781509037384
SIENA, F.L., BREEDON, P., ARMSTRONG, J., INKPIN, K. and NORRIS, A., 2016. The development of a novel steerable bougie to assist in airway management. Australasian Medical Journal, 9 (5), pp. 124-137. ISSN 1836-1935.
Selected Scholarship Publications.
SIENA, F. L., MALCOLM, R., KENNEA, P., FORBES, C., & STEWART, J. (2024). Reimagining design fundamentals: deschooling 1st year product design students. Proceedings of the International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education (EPDE 2024) (pp. 324-329). The Design Society.
BROOK, E. E., SIENA, F. L., & RIDING, G. T. 2024. A hole in one: breaking barriers & creating communities by engaging product design students with creative model making & collaboration events. Proceedings of the International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education (E&PDE 2024) (pp. 67-72). The Design Society.
BATHAEI JAVARESHK, M., WATKINS, M., JOBLING, P., & SIENA, L. 2024. Impacts of generative AI on engineering and product design students' performance. Proceedings of the International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education (E&PDE 2024) (pp. 19-24). The Design Society.
SIENA, F. L., RUSSELL, S., WINFIELD, K., MALCOLM, R., STEWART, J., HURFORD, T., WOOLLEY, J., DODL, A., & SALTER, S. 2024. Product design education for deaf & hard of hearing learners: examining the four year undergraduate learners experience. Proceedings of the International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education (E&PDE 2024) (pp. 318-323). The Design Society.
SIENA, F., MALCOLM, R., KENNEA, P., STEWART, J., & CUTTS, A. 2024. The trajectory of design sketching: an inquiry into educational pathways, higher education transitions & design sketching syllabus development for 1st year product design students. Proceedings of the International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education (EPDE 2024) (pp. 330-335). The Design Society
KENNEA, P., MALCOLM, R., SIENA, F. L., STEWART, J., & CUTTS, A. 2024. The power of the pen/pencil: developing a design sketching syllabus to help 1st year product design students communicate effectively. Conference proceedings: DRS2024: Boston. Design Research Society
SIENA, F.L., NAIK, K. and WATTS, P., 2023. Utilising hackathons to enhance the design process for electronics & programming learning within product design education. In DS 123: Proceedings of the International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education (E&PDE 2023).
KENNEA, P., SIENA, F., FORBES, C., MALCOLM, R., MARTIN, L., STEWART, J., RODRIGUES, C. and POPE, D., 2023. CAD bash: accelerating 2D/3D computer aided design competencies for first year product design students. In DS 123: Proceedings of the International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education (E&PDE 2023).
SIENA, L., DOMINGUES, A.R., BULL, R., JENSEN, P., CUTTS, A., PRICE, O. and FORBES, C., 2022. Embedding enterprise focused education for sustainable development: lessons from undergraduate student experiences in product design.
WINFIELD, K., SIZER, N. and SIENA, F., 2022. Design sprint methodologies transformed in a digital environment. The Design Society.
SIENA, F.L., FORBES, C. and TRUMAN, K., 2022. Democratic Manufacturing: A Student Manufactured & Operated 3D Printer Farm. In DS 117: Proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education (E&PDE 2022), London South Bank University in London, UK. 8th-9th September 2022.
SIENA, F.L., RUSSELL, S., MALCOLM, R., BROOK, E., CUTTS, A., MARTIN, L. and NAIK, K., 2022. Successes and challenges of supporting product design education for deaf and hard of hearing learners during a pandemic: a case study. The Design Society.
Course(s) I teach on
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Undergraduate | Full-time / SandwichCOURSE
Product Design - BSc (Hons)
https://www.ntu.ac.uk/course/architecture-design-and-the-built-environment/ug/bsc-hons-product-design
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Undergraduate | Full-time / SandwichCOURSE
Product Design - BA (Hons)
https://www.ntu.ac.uk/course/architecture-design-and-the-built-environment/ug/ba-hons-product-design
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Undergraduate | Full-time / Sandwichhttps://www.ntu.ac.uk/course/architecture-design-and-the-built-environment/ug/ba-hons-furniture-and-product-design
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Postgraduate taught | Full-time / Part-time (day)https://www.ntu.ac.uk/course/architecture-design-and-the-built-environment/pg/ma-design-products-and-furniture
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Postgraduate taught | Full-time / Part-timehttps://www.ntu.ac.uk/course/architecture-design-and-the-built-environment/pg/msc-design-products-and-technology
UN Sustainable Development Goals
UN Sustainable Development Goals
