About

I am Sophie Griffiths, a PhD candidate at the University of Queensland working at the intersection of psychology, design, and health research. Before returning to academia, I worked internationally in design practice on large-scale projects across retail, hospitality, and placemaking.

My doctoral research brings these worlds together in the context of health research, where co-design is increasingly used to involve patients, practitioners, and communities in shaping services, systems, and research itself. Through the AC-DC (Advancing Co-Design Clarity) project, I examine how co-design methods shape collaboration, participation, influence, and collective creativity across diverse groups and complex systems.

Grounded particularly in social identity and group process perspectives, the programme explores how co-design in health research might become easier to understand, evaluate, and confidently use while supporting better collaborative outcomes.

My PhD programme runs from 2025 to 2028, and this site acts as a living research space for sketchnotes, conceptual models, reflections, and emerging work developed throughout the journey.

Current PhD Projects

AC-DC* - Advancing Co-Design Clarity

Mapping co-design methods and developing theory-informed tools for collaborative creative research.

(*The name is a working title - I think it is a bit of fun!)

Research Focus

• Co-design in health research
• Social identity and group processes
• Interdisciplinary collaboration
• Participatory and co-design methods
• Complex systems

Education

• PhD Candidate, School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Australia. Supervised by Dr. Tarli Young and Professor Alex Haslam.
• Bachelor of Psychological Science (Hons class 1) 2024

Contact & Links

• Email: s.griffiths1@student.uq.edu.au
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sophiegriffiths
• University Profile: https://sign.centre.uq.edu.au/profile/1783/sophie-griffiths

Affiliations

University of Queensland

• School of Psychology
• School of Design

ARC BITA, Queensland University of Technology

RA Work

• Hopkins Centre, Griffith University
• UQ School of Design
• UQ School of Psychology

Tutor Roles

• Bachelor of Psychological Science: Organisational Psychology (4th year course)
• Bachelor of Design; Co-Design, Design for Sustainability, Design for a Better World, Design Experience (1st, 2nd and 3rd year courses)

A small sample of interests & achievements

"Winner of the 2023 UQ Ventures Industry Challenge with GreenDoor, a project developing new housing solutions for vulnerable older women."

ARC BITA Nudegeathon 2025

UQ Ventures Hackathon 2023