Justin Magee

Dr Justin Magee, is the Research Director for the Belfast School of Art (UoA32) and a Senior Lecturer in Product design at Ulster University (since 2006). His research focuses on digital human modelling, user experience and immersion for physical and digital product applications, in Arts and Health. His work was returned in the RAE2001, RAE2008 and REF2014 and he leads the UoA32 strategy in preparation for REF2021. He has served as Course and Subject Director (2009-2016) at UG and PG level and placement coordinator (2000-2006, 2010-2015). He was Director for Academic Enterprise for the Faculty of Arts (2006-2011) and Acting Director of the Research Institute (2005). Ulster University awarded him the Distinguished Business Fellowship (2007) and the Impact Research Excellence Impact award for Knowledge Exchange (2017). He is a member of the Institute of Designers (IDI, 2006), Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA, 2020) and The Council for Higher Education in Art & Design (CHEAD, 2017). 

He has secured more than £7.015M of research income as a PI or Co-I, excluding commercial match funding of approximately £5.5M and generated over £260K in consultancy income and £67,552 of HEIF projects on interdisciplinary research. He held and external appointment on the HSC NI Office for Research Ethics Committees (2017-2019). He has served the University Research & Impact Committee (2018-2020). He has peer reviewed on several Journals across design, medical engineering, creative industries and entrepreneurship.

As a design consultant he has worked for LEGO Systems, Denmark, GE Plastics (Germany and UK) on contracts with Mercedes, Audi, Porsche etc., Smart Car and as a design consultant on over 85 commercial projects with SME’s in Ireland and the UK. He has been involved in nine Invention disclosures, 3 patents and is an IP stakeholder in 3 collaborative research projects with HSC Innovations. His recent research received 2 Innovate UK Certificate of Excellence (2017, 2020), featured as a case study for the NCUB State of the Art report (2018) and a finalist at the THELMAs for KE initiative of the year (2018).

He has secured 15 external research awards totalling £7,015,355 from AHRC, RCUK, DCAL, Innovate UK, WHSCT, NHSCT, HSC R&D/PHA and RCUK. He is Co-investigator on one of the nine national AHRC Creative Industries Clusters (Future Screens NI). He has secured soft-funding or in-kind income related to research and impact totalling £49,407. Most of his research funding is collaborative with industry and he has worked on over 80 commercial projects including 29 consultancy projects through Innovation Ulster Ltd.  (e.g. SMART Car, Randox, Izak9). Has managed 13 awards for HEIF interdisciplinary research. As Director for Academic Enterprise (2006-2011) he managed and allocated £90,000 of completive research impact funding and engaging with the private and public sector.