Niki Wallace is a researcher, educator, and designer focused on Just Transitions, with research interests spanning co-creation and collaboration, regenerative cultures, circular design, and relational principles as core aspects of these transitions.
Niki's research focuses on activating and accelerating Just Transitions, developing methods for expanded collaboration, and nurturing regenerative cultures. A curiosity relating to the psychology of change is also driving an exploration of how designers might consider 'phasing out' and 'letting go' as part of transitions. Niki's approach to Design for Transitions is informed by theories and methods from Transitions Studies and Social Sciences, and works closely with principles from Complex Adaptive Systems Leadership and Complexity Science. The transitions framework they've been developing through their research is currently being applied to a collaborative research project exploring transitions within Higher Education with a focus on climate justice. Through this project a toolkit is also being developed for further expansion of this work. Niki's PhD focused on design’s acceleration of the consumption and waste problem by examining designing against consumption and exploring ‘what it takes’ to redirect design practices to catalyse transitions.
Through educational leadership roles in the Graphic Design Programme (as Programme Director) and MA Global Collaborative Design Practice (as a Course Leader and Unit leader), Niki supports students’ development of the critical skills needed to realise regenerative and just futures.
Wallace is also the founder of Net Zero Lab, an Australian-based living lab collective of designers and researchers who practice emergent approaches to generative co-design, regenerative futures and design for transitions.