David Tormey is currently research manager for the Centre for Design Innovation at the Institute of Technology Sligo, where his primary research interests are focused on understanding the role that design plays within the innovation process. He recently published the results of a major macro survey of 405 SMEs from a range of different industry sectors both in the Republic and Northern Ireland. The research focused on understanding the relationship between design and innovation and how it correlates to business success. David is also conducting qualitative research on assessing what impact action-based research programmes have with respect to fostering design led innovation within a network of public sector bodies and SMEs. Other centre related research activities have included a study and SWOT analysis of the design services sector from a whole island perspective, funded by IntertradeIreland, and the establishment of a Rapid Prototyping and Simulation lab, funded through Enterprise Ireland's capital research grant.

Having come from an engineering background, David subsequently worked as a senior research engineer at the Computer Integrated Manufacture Research Unit (CIMRU) at NUIG, where he worked on various Enterprise Ireland and European funded research projects in the areas of design and manufacturing support systems and Design for Environment (DFE) compliance. During his time at CIMRU, David completed a PhD that focused on addressing the problems associated with the distributed collaborative nature of the design process and possesses several peer reviewed conference and journal publications within the area. David has also been employed as a contract lecturer at the Industrial & Mechanical Engineering Department at GMIT, and the Mechanical/Biomedical Engineering Department NUIG.

Justin Knecht joined the Centre for Design Innovation from Crayola in the US where he was Senior Manager of Creative Services, responsible for global branding, packaging development, POS and Internet services. Prior to Crayola, Justin was co-founder of AOV in Philadelphia, developing over 20 award-winning websites for a range of regional, national and international clients. He has worked as a freelance designer, writer, film editor, photographer, and has spoken at a number of conferences, companies and events including SEEdesign, HOW, Hallmark Cards, DMI, Thinking Creatively Conference, Oracle, the Macromedia User Conference and the Allaire Developers Conference.

Linzi Ryan joined the Center for Design Innovation as a research PhD student after she completed a Master of Science in Product Innovation and Development in Brighton University. In 2008 she was awarded the Brighton University Student Entrepreneur Innovation Award. Prior to this she worked as product designer in a small start-up medical device company in Waterford. She has an honours degree in Industrial Design from Carlow I.T.

Cristina Luminea joined the Centre for Design Innovation as a Research Masters student in 2008, after finishing her University studies both in Ireland and Romania. At the same time she had been chosen to be the Microsoft Student Partner for IT Sligo. During the last year she was part of team ParkIT who represented Ireland in the International finals of Microsoft Imagine Cup 2008, a global software competition involving over 100,000 students from over 100 countries.

She came to Ireland in 2006 from Romania as an Erasmus student and a year later she got a Bachelor degree in International Marketing. In 2008 she got an Honors degree in Software Development from IT Sligo and an Honors Degree in Economical-Informatics from "Lucian Blaga" University of Sibiu. She was also awarded the IT Sligo student of the year McDermott Creed and Martyn Prize.

In January 2009 she attended the Learning And Technology World Forum - LATWF, a major world Education Ministers conference hosted by the UK government in London.

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