Leading the OU’s teaching in Engineering, Design, Technology & Innovation Management, Systems Thinking and Environmental Management and has highly rated Design and Materials Engineering research.
We aim to make an impact on individuals, organisations and communities that have to design, develop, build and manage complex systems involving technologies of all kinds. Our disciplines combine both analysis and synthesis, ranging from engineering, through design and systems thinking to environmental and technology management.
We take a broad view of engineering and innovation in all our activities. Our teaching covers many forms of formal, non-formal and informal courses and educational resources. Our wide ranging research and scholarship covers several Research Excellence Framework (REF) units of assessment. Our expertise is used in various commercial, not-for-profit and grant funded activities both nationally and internationally.
We are committed to the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion and aim to enhance our reach into, and impact on, currently underserved groups and organisations in line with The Open University’s mission.
School of Engineering and Innovation researcher Lisa Bowers is leading efforts to ensure that The Open University is at the forefront of accessible education.
Methods comprise a significant part of the knowledge engineers are taught and that they use in professional practice. However, methods have been largely neglected in discussions of the nature of engineering knowledge.
Honeycombs have long been known to offer interesting properties, such as low mass-weight ratio, energy absorption, and mechanical and acoustic damping; but historically have been limited in geometry due to manufacturing constraints.
School of Engineering and Innovation researcher Lisa Bowers is co-author on a recent paper which introduces a new approach to citizen science in primary schools.
On 8th May 2025, E&I academics Theo Zamenopoulos, Vera Hale, and Katerina Alexiou co-hosted an event with The Glass-House Community Led Design and