Melody Wang is a design researcher specialised in using creative methods and participatory approaches to address open, complex, dynamic, and networked sociotechnical challenges. She is a fully-funded PhD candidate (2023-2027) at the Advanced Care Research Centre (ACRC) and an affiliate of both Design Informatics and Edinburgh Futures Institute. Her doctoral research explores how sensor and IoT (Internet of Things) technologies can support older adults’ everyday care practices at home, and how ‘care” could be a valuable lens for design. Her PhD is supervised by Prof. John Vines, Prof. Katie Brittain, and Dr. Cara Wilson.

During the first summer of her PhD, Melody also worked on Can AI Represent Care? project, supervised by Dr. Nichole Fernandez. The project investigates how “care” is represented by text-to-image generative AI tools, and how reflexive prompt engineering might help diversify the results. The research was later turned into an exhibition and public involvement event featured in the Festival of Social Science and Being Human Festival in 2024. The exhibition invites the public to reflect on what care means in their daily lives, question the biases embedded in technology, and consider the evolving relationship between humans and AI in shaping our understandings. The research forms part of the Images of Care project.

Before starting her PhD, Melody has worked in the autonomous delivery robot industry and at several leading design agencies. She holds a dual master’s degree in Product Service System Design at Tongji University and Politechnico di Milano. She also earns a Bachelor of Engineering in furniture and living space design.