BIO

PIP SHEA, PhD

I’m a Lead Product Designer and Team Lead at CSIRO Data61 with a PhD in Media and Communication (2014). My design practice spans 25 years, and is shaped by periods as an academic researcher, artist, and community development practitioner.

2022—present
I am currently leading product design initiatives within CSIRO's AI for Science program and lead a team of designers at CSIRO's Data61. I work with cross-disciplinary teams to create intuitive interfaces for complex scientific ideation, experimentation, analysis, and outputs. Prior to this I was the Design Lead on Data61's Operationalising Responsible Artificial Intelligence for CSIRO Missions program.

2018-2021
In 2018, I began working with the Victorian Government to research and design digital products: namely in the areas of social housing and health.

2010 to 2017
In 2010, I undertook doctoral research into the ethical implications of the internet on Community Cultural Development practice. During this time I worked as a researcher the University of Sydney, Queensland University of Technology, Queen’s University Belfast, and the University of Ulster. I then became heavily involved in involved in grassroots makerspaces that facilitated digital fabrication and other forms of DIY making: notably as 1) a director of Farset Labs, a hackerspace and technology charity in Belfast, and as 2) a researcher and writer on a European Union Special Project investigating creative practices in and around Fab Labs in Spain, Ireland, and the UK, and as 3) a researcher at Monash University investigating the makerspace context in China.

Mid-90s to 2009
I began working in digital in the mid-nineties. During this time I worked as a designer for the ABC, Triple J, SBS, and EMI Records. I was also involved in Community Cultural Development practice, working to integrate digital technologies into the lives of young people. During this time I participated in several Australia Council initiatives, including: an artist residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts (Canada); a professional development trip to India to research open source software; and, an emerging producer role at the Next Wave festival. I was also invited to speak at the 2008 Alfred Deakin Innovation Lectures.

CONTACT

Email: pip at pipshea dot net

Twitter: @pip_shea