Eps 52 “Design as an Agent of Social Change” with Professor Lisa Scharoun.

Eps 52 “Design as an Agent of Social Change” with Professor Lisa Scharoun.

July 7, 2026 · 58 min

About this episode

Professor Lisa Scharoun discusses her journey in design and leadership, focusing on social change and health.

Professor Lisa Scharoun is Head of School—School of Design at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia. An award-winning teacher, researcher, and designer, Lisa specialises in Visual Communications, with a focus on design for health and wellbeing and cross-cultural design. She holds a Master of Arts in Design Studies from Central Saint Martins in London, and after working as a graphic and interior designer, she moved into academia. She earned her PhD from Griffith University, Queensland, Australia, spent eight years at the University of Canberra, where she led design programs and co-founded the Cross-cultural Design Lab, and she has also served as a visiting professor in Singapore and Norway. In her current work, Lisa has partnered with Queensland Health helping secure more than $3 million to support healthcare innovation. Today, her leadership is grounded in empowering teams, nurturing emerging talent, and advancing socially responsive, culturally informed design. This conversation dives deeply into the non-linear personal and professional path that shaped Lisa’s worldview—from creative boredom in upstate New York to navigating corporate culture clashes in…

People in this episode

Host: Flyntrok

Guest: Professor Lisa Scharoun

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Queensland University of Technology, Queensland Health, University of Canberra, Cross-cultural Design Lab

Places: Brisbane, Australia, upstate New York, London, Shanghai

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