Designed for Life
Episodes
116 episodes
Designed for Life - In conversation with Goldsmiths University - Part 2
In part two of this two-part mini-series, we dig deep into what system changes might be necessary to make teaching the attractive profession that it once was. One-third of all teachers who have qualified across all subjects in the last decade h...
Designed for Life - In conversation with Goldsmiths University - Part 1
Goldsmiths, University of London is one of the longest-established providers of D&T teacher education in the country and, over the years, has been instrumental in helping shape the subject that we now know. In this short mini-series of two ...
Designed for Life - In conversation with Jasmine Allen
At the end of 2025, I was privileged to be asked to visit the JLR plant in Gaydon in the West Midlands to attend their Creative Showcase. I don't hide the fact that I am a car enthusiast, so I must admit that letting me loose amidst the creativ...
Designed for Life - In conversation with Ilā Kamalagharan
Ilā is a British artist, producer and vocalist. When you are approached by an agent stating, "Would you like to speak with an artist who operates at the intersection of quantum computer music, AI and the human voice, well, you kind of say...
Designed for Life - In conversation with Leia Milburn
Leia Milburn is an industrial designer working at Tone Product Design in London. Leia was born in London but grew up in Hong Kong and Singapore. Her father is a D&T teacher and trained as a furniture designer, so she was raised around stron...
Designed for Life - Samsung Solve for Tomorrow
The countdown is on – the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition closes on 1st February 2026! This podcast takes on a different format as we talk to Jessie Soohyun Park, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility for Samsung Electronic...
Designed for Life - In conversation with Brad Scott, Principal Designer at Applied Design Works, New York
On the first day of 2026, and if we are honest, a touch later than planned due to the Christmas break, we are delighted to open the New Year with a conversation with the Co-founder of Applied Design (https://helloapplied.com), one of New York's...
Designed for Life - In conversation with Amazon Mechatronics Engineering Apprentice Olivia Lane
One pattern that has repeated across the 108 podcasts published since Designed for Life launched in the summer of 2020 is the role of serendipity in aligning people and their careers. Today's podcast is a case in point. Driven by a ...
Designed for Life - In conversation with Julie Brierley (Head of Learning and Engagement, RAF Museum, Midlands).
You can cover so much learning within the confines of the classroom, but with design & technology education, whether at the primary or secondary level, a carefully planned educational visit can add so much.At the Design & Technol...
Designed for Life - Reset Short Update
We have been offline for a short while whilst we evaluate, reconsider where the podcast is heading and reset. This is the first of what will be a regular series of brief updates between the main podcasts. In these, we aim to tell yo...
Designed for Life - In conversation with Chris Black
In this podcast, we are going to test your knowledge of UK manufacturing, your memory, and empathy for items that, by their very nature, invoke nostalgia, as we take you through a journey that transcends technological change and leads through a...
Designed for Life - New Blades 2025
New Blades is an annual model-making exhibition and recruitment fair held in London each year, showcasing the work of graduating students from various UK universities and colleges. It's a key event for connecting emerging talent in the model-ma...
Designed for Life - In conversation with Helen Cuthill (CEO Smallpeice Trust)
The Smallpeice Trust is a charity dedicated to inspiring young people to explore careers in science and engineering. It was founded in 1966 by the British engineer and entrepreneur Dr. Cosby Smallpeice (who invented the Smallpeice Lathe). The t...
Designed for Life - In conversation with STEM Racing's Andrew Denford
Many people familiar with this podcast will recognise the name 'F1 in Schools', a design, teamwork and engineering challenge that has existed in schools for over two decades. Some of you will have competed in either regional or, if you are fort...
Designed for Life - In conversation with Senior Lecturer in Primary Education Janine Pavlis
In this episode, we focus on primary education, specifically design and technology education in the primary phase. Our guest in this episode is Senior Lecturer in Primary Education at St.Mary's University, Twickenham, Janine Pavlis.
Designed for Life - In conversation with Aakeen Parikh
Dr Aakeen Parikh is a mechanical engineer with a background in research, design, sustainable technologies, and social impact. She currently works as the Project Manager for the Vehicle Future Hub at Imperial College London. Aakeen discovered en...
Designed for Life - Live at Simon Langton Boys School, Kent (Part 2)
In this, the second episode of a two-part mini-series, we continue exploring the journey of school design and technology leaders and departments as we visit and speak with staff, students, and parents at Simon Langton Boys' Grammar School in Ca...
Designed for Life - Live at Simon Langton Boys School, Kent (Part 1)
In this episode, we continue exploring the journey of school design and technology leaders and departments as we visit and talk with staff, students, and parents at the Simon Langton Boys Grammar School in Canterbury, Kent. Before a...
Designed for Life - In conversation with Dean Kamen & Chris Hatherall
This is a big episode for Designed for Life, as we proudly reach number 100! We are delighted to have Dean Kamen, an American engineer, inventor, and businessman, on the show. Dean is known for his inventions of the Segway, iBOT, and Slingshot ...
Designed forn Life - Live at Newstead Wood School
How do you build a successful design & technology department from the ground up with an entirely new staff? What curriculum changes should you make at KS3, KS4 and KS5 to ensure you stretch and challenge what are undoubtedly very bright stu...
Designed for Life - In conversation with Marisa Kurimbokus IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year 2024
In this episode, we are delighted to welcome Marisa Kurimbokus, who was announced as the IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year 2024 at the end of last year. In the podcast, we follow Marisa's journey from primary school, where a teac...
Designed for Life - Live at Arts University Bournemouth
In this episode, we take the podcast on the road to Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) and talk with YouTube stalwarts Brothers Make, Louise Dennis, Curator at MoDiP (Museum of Design in Plastics) and Will Strange, Senior Lecturer and Course Lea...
Designed for Life - In conversation with Titi Oliyide
Growing up with a love of mathematics, Titi thought a career as a maths teacher was beckoning until a conversation with one of her sister's friends opened up the possibility of becoming an engineer. A comment that stood out for me in this conve...
Designed for Life - 2024 Wrapped Compilation
Somehow, another year has passed, and it's time to look back on Designed for Life across 2024. Over the year, we released sixteen new episodes, reached over 31,000 streams, reached new audiences in Asia and America and, most importantly, got to...
Designed for Life - In conversation with Hepzi Rattray
Imagine accidentally being put off from a career in engineering by your brilliant grandfather who, without realising, made a career in the sector sound unreachable. Hepzi Rattray is a structural engineer with the global engineering company Ramb...