Dr Steven Birnie
Senior Lecturer
Design, Manufacturing and Engineering Management
Personal statement
Dr Steven Birnie is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Design, Manufacturing & Engineering Management (DMEM) at the University of 欧美高清. He brings over 23 years of experience in design and innovation, having transitioned from industry to academia in 2023.
During his professional career, Dr Birnie received numerous international accolades, including the Good Design Award, IDSA Award, and Scottish Design Award, and is the inventor of 45 granted US patents. Prior to joining academia, he spent nearly 20 years with NCR Corporation, a global leader in self-service technologies, where he led the design, usability, and accessibility of hardware solutions and championed the organisation鈥檚 early focus on sustainability. He continues to maintain strong industry links.
Dr Birnie鈥檚 academic research sits at the intersection of design, manufacturing, innovation, and sustainability, with a particular focus on the circular economy and engineering net zero. He leads teaching in Embodiment Design, Sustainable Design and Manufacture, Design Methods, and Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives of Sustainable Development, and supervises doctoral research on the role of Industry 4.0 in advancing the circular economy.
He was Principal Investigator on the recently completed 拢376,171 SPS-funded ExtendPlus programme, which analysed and baselined the carbon output of 288 SMEs in the Greater Glasgow region. He is also an active member of DMEM鈥檚 Design Research Group, contributing expertise in design education, design management, and sustainable product development.
Through this unique combination of industry experience and academic insight, Dr Birnie advances the integration of sustainable development principles into both practice and education, strengthening the University of 欧美高清鈥檚 role as a leader in design-led innovation for a sustainable future.
Prize And Awards
- Recipient
- 9/3/2026
- Recipient
- 25/8/2025
- Recipient
- 20/8/2021
- Recipient
- 7/7/2021
- Recipient
- 1/8/2015
- Recipient
- 1/4/2011
Publications
- ,
- (2025)
- Reeves Florence, ,
- 27th International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education (2025)
- , Denny Ian McFarlane, Vettraino Peter
- (2025)
- , Marchbanks Thomas, kutsarova lyudmila, ,
- (2025)
- , Divine Casey
- (2025)
- Swaine Stephen, Smith Andrew William Douglas, McCafferty Liam, , Munro Marshall
- (2025)
Professional Activities
- Examiner
- 13/8/2025
- Examiner
- 6/11/2024
- Speaker
- 21/10/2024
- Speaker
- 6/3/2024
- Participant
- 15/2/2023
- Participant
- 25/8/2022
Projects
- Birnie, Steven (Principal Investigator)
- 02-Jan-2026 - 31-Jan-2027
- Birnie, Steven (Principal Investigator)
- 02-Jan-2026 - 30-Jan-2026
- Thomson, Rachel (Principal Investigator) Birnie, Steven (Principal Investigator)
- 拢5k awarded from Scottish Enterprise to Blairbeth to conduct market exploration and validation.
- 09-Jan-2026 - 30-Jan-2026
- Birnie, Steven (Principal Investigator)
- 20-Jan-2024 - 20-Jan-2024
- Brisco, Ross (Academic) Ellsworth-Krebs, Katherine (Academic) Birnie, Steven (Academic) Josifovic, Aleksandar (Academic)
- Engineers Without Borders South Africa and Engineers Without Borders UK are delighted to be partnering with Engineers Without Borders Australia and their engineering team in Cambodia to deliver this year鈥檚 programme, set in the rural village Pu Ngaol (pronounced 鈥榩u now鈥�), in the forested hills of the Mondulkiri province in eastern Cambodia.
The top five participating teams from each university will be invited to submit their ideas to a panel of expert reviewers. The leading teams from this review stage, including at least one team from each university, are invited to the Grand Finals, where you will showcase your work to peers, academics, industry representatives and on the collaborative workspace, Crowdsolve. There are three awards to compete for: First and second prize, which are selected by an expert panel of judges, and the People鈥檚 Prize, which is decided by a public vote. - 11-Jan-2023 - 29-Jan-2025
- Birnie, Steven (Principal Investigator) Andrews, Colin (Co-investigator) Butler, David (Co-investigator)
- 23-Jan-2023 - 31-Jan-2025
Contact
Dr
Steven
Birnie
Senior Lecturer
Design, Manufacturing and Engineering Management
Email: steven.birnie@strath.ac.uk
Tel: 548 2411