Role
Dr Matthew Watkins is a Principal Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering.
He is the courses manager for the MSc courses in Medical Engineering, Transport Systems and Sustainable Engineering & Energy
Matthew is a design researcher, educator, his research broadly concerns Transport and Sustainability, and he regularly engages with the press and with industry in research, consultancy and teaching.
He supervises PhD students in the fields of Sustainable Design and Design Innovation.
Career overview
Principal Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering at Nottingham Trent University since May 2021
Senior Lecturer in Product design at Nottingham Trent University 2012-2021
Visiting Lecturer in Sustainability at the University of Hertfordshire 2011-2013
Part Time Lecturer on MSc in Rapid Product Development at De Montfort University 2011-2012
University Teacher at Loughborough University 2009-2012
Research areas
Matthew's research broadly concerns Transport and Sustainability.
Since September 2017, Matthew has secured a total of over £200K of research funding as the Principle Investigator, £120,000 of which is externally funded by industry. He has also secured an additional £32,000 of internal funding as a Co-Investigator.
His recent research projects have considered:
- Cycle safety in Urban Environments – Concerning cyclist’s safety around HGV and large commercial and construction vehicles. Involving working with large logistics and construction companies and is ongoing currently in its second funding stage.
- Road Flooding - Concerning driver behaviour and responses to flood signage and active project
- Sustainable Mobility - concerning drivers attitudes to personal car use and models of ownership
Matthew's PhD awarded in 2014 considered the effective teaching of the social aspects of sustainable product design in the UK and Ireland.
External activity
Matthew is a reviewer for the following international journals and conferences:
- Journal of Design Research
- Journal of Higher Education, Skills and Work-based Learning
- She Ji: The Journal of Design, Economics, and Innovation
- Engineering and Product Design Education Conference (E&PDE)
- Design Research Society Conference (DRS)
Matthew is the external examiner for the BSc and HND Product Design course at the University of Northampton.
Press expertise
- Road and Transport Safety (flooding, cyclists and HGV vision)
- Sustainable Mobility (personal car use and electric cars)
- Circular Economy (consumer goods and product design)
- Product Design
- Design Education
- Sustainable Design