Professor Rachel Cooper OBE is Distinguished Professor of Design Management and Policy at Lancaster University. She is founding Director of ImaginationLancaster, an open and exploratory design-led research centre conducting applied and theoretical research into people, products, places and their interactions. Her research interests cover: design thinking; design management; design policy; and across all sectors of industry. An academic leader with 20 years research experience and collaboration with industry partners. Rachel Cooper has led large interdisciplinary research programmes related to design, many of which have focused on the future of people, places and products in both physical and digital environments. Professor Cooper has undertaken several advisory roles to national and international universities, government and non-governmental organisations. She was a Lead Expert for the UK Government Foresight programme on the Future of Cities (2013-2016), a member of the Blackett Review of the Internet of Things (2014) ,was on the UK Academy of Medical Sciences Working group addressing ‘The Health of the Public 2040’ (2015-16) and is a currently a Chair of the UK Prevention Research Partnership, Expert Advisory Group. She is also series editor of the Routledge series Design for Social Responsibility. She was founding editor of The Design Journal and also founding President of the European Academy of Design. She is currently President of the Design Research Society. Rachel was awarded the OBE by the Queen for services to education in 2013.