Professor Ian Montgomery

Professor Ian Montgomery is Professor of Design and Dean of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility at Ulster University in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He previously served on the University’s Senior Leadership Team as Pro Vice-Chancellor for Global Engagement and as Dean of the Faculty of Art, Design and the Built Environment.

He is Co-chair of the Board of Trustees of the Environmental Association of Universities and Colleges (EAUC) and Chair of the WHO-partnered Belfast Healthy Cities organization. In addition, he co-chairs both the Belfast Climate Commission and the Derry and Strabane Council Sustainability and Climate Commission, while also serving as a Board Member of the Northern Ireland Resources Network.

Earlier in his career, Professor Montgomery was Head of the School of Art and Design and Director of the Research Institute for Art and Design at Ulster University. His research focuses on design theory, knowledge transfer, and design perception, and he has supervised PhD research in sustainability, architecture, and design for over 20 years.

He is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (PFHEA), a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), and a Member of the International Society of Typographic Designers (MISTD) and the Design Research Society. He has served as Chief External Examiner, examiner, and chair of international panels across the UK, Ireland, mainland Europe, Mauritius, and the Far East, and has built numerous international academic partnerships in the US, the Middle East, China, Hong Kong, and Europe.

Professor Montgomery has been recognized with an Individual Excellence Award by the Chinese government’s Cultural Confucius Awarding Body and holds an Honorary Professorship at Hubei Normal University in Huangshi, China.