About the Curator

Chris Ryan has worked for over 30 years across various areas of science, technology, environmental policy and design and in projects that span the community sector, academia, government and international agencies, and business.

His community sector work spans the creation of a number of networks of ‘alternative’ and ‘radical’ technology in the UK and Centre for Research into Environmental Strategies (CERES), in the Melbourne Suburb of Brunswick.

He was foundation professor of Design and Sustainability at RMIT from 1990 and Director of the National (Key) Centre for Environmental Design from 1989-98. He has been Professor, and Director of the International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics (IIIEE) in Lund, Sweden. He joined the University of Melbourne in 2006 as Professor and Co-Director of the Australian Centre for Science Innovation and Society and as Director of the Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab (based on the Eco-Sense program). Professor Ryan collaborates with many eco-design related research groups in Europe, including the Politecnico di Milano, Italy and the Technical University of Delft in the Netherlands.

His work with government and international agencies includes a four-year tenure on the Community Environment, Art and Design committee of the Australia Council and membership of the Council’s Community Cultural Development Board. He has worked with the UK Design Council in London and with the UN Environment Program (Division of Technology, Industry and Economics) in Paris.

His industry work includes projects for Electrolux (Europe); Electrolux (Asia Pacific); Volvo Penta, (Sweden); Brio (Sweden); Body Shop (Australasia); Blackmores (Australia); Isle Property Development Group (Australia); Fletcher constructions (Australia). He has worked in long term advisory roles with Schiavello Systems Furniture (Australia) and the Transurban group. He is a Board member of the Banksia Foundation, Australia’s peak environmental awards agency.

In 2008-9 he was Chair of the Premiers Design Award in Victoria.