Leading Skills and Capabilities Building for the Humanitarian Innovation Fund. Working collaboratively with colleagues, grantees, and external stakeholders to document, develop, decolonise, and deliver accessible, context-sensitive, and future-aware technical resources, including tools and processes for managing and enabling innovation within humanitarian contexts through supportive cultures and environments.

Highlights:

• Reported to and liaised with statutory and institutional donors FCDO and Dutch MFA
• Coordinated and delivered non-financial grantee support, incl. convenings, workshops, and presentations
• Managed researchers exploring the present and future needs of humanitarian innovators and innovation managers
• Managed and co-created ethics resources with McGill/McMaster universities and participatory resources with MIT’s D-Lab
• Managed FCDO-funded grantees exploring how inclusive disaster preparedness can enable inclusive humanitarian response, for people with disabilities and older people

Led research outcomes for Oxfam’s UnBlocked Cash pilot, while contributing to programme design and technical advisory across all aspects of the project. The role included horizon scanning, partner evaluation, designing and delivering programme design and learning workshops, refining research methodologies, coordinating stakeholder inputs, and managing monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning.

Highlights:

• Co-developed the first DLT-based relief chain and CVA pilot in the Pacific incl. NFC-enabled mobile endpoints with Sempo
• Authored the research report, ‘Unblocked Cash: Piloting Accelerated Cash Transfer Delivery in Vanuatu’

Taught design and innovation theory with a focus on complex systems and community-led solutions for built environments, including patient-centred design and qualitative research methodologies in service of culturally and emotionally sensitive guerrilla information systems for oncological treatment. Developed and delivered original material on the role of designers in the Anthropocene and encouraged students to explore the social implications of this proposed epoch by presenting climate science alongside emerging technologies and speculative futures.

Establishing a multi-disciplinary design practice developing community-led solutions and foresights to shape the future of our built environments in service of people and planet.

Evaluated and supported the needs of the Digital Futures team in its mission to digitise Aurecon’s business, while guiding product design and developing frameworks to support future products.

Led human-centred solutions for purpose-driven brands and institutions. The role was that of a practical designer and a design thinker, responsible for all projects, their clients, and its team, including the in-house impact-oriented publication Matters Journal. The design director’s role was responsible for creative direction, asset management, event design, collaborator outreach, editorial design and production, while assisting with product development and editorial strategy.

Created and directed creative content for the built and unbuilt environment. The creative director’s role comprised pitching creative work, managing client and stakeholder relationships, maintaining effective teams while developing insights, experiences, and stories in support of masterplans and placemaking strategies.

Clients: The State Government of Victoria, Places Victoria, Lendlease, Mirvac, ISPT, Sydney Opera House, Anzac Memorial Trustees, Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI), Arts Centre Melbourne, Foster and Partners, Fender Katsalidis, Woods Bagot, Hassell and Denton Corker Marshall among others

https://vimeo.com/242868714

Show reel by Unsigned Studio (formally Squint/Opera) including projects directed by Björn Rust.

Developed and delivered classes on photography for industrial designers.

Independently publishing socially conscious, evergreen food media exploring the impact of our consumption.

Scrag End’s incisive take on the Australian food system is worthy of a wider audience…

Video review: Scrag End journal - STACK magazines

Developing holistic, evidence-based solutions for purpose-driven people. Currently embedded with Aurecon’s Digital Futures team, evaluating and redesigning the user experience and interface of the firm’s suite of digital tools.

Consulting with clients and designing solutions for urban environments. Managing and designing marketing and communication, online presence and infrastructure. Implementing software solutions and developing best practice.

Evaluated applications for the Next Generation Foresight Practitioners (NGFP) main award and coordinated communications to attract more diverse applicants from low- and middle-income countries working on humanitarian problems.

Reviewed project abstracts and co-designed the 2021 MSF Scientific Days agenda with a small group of innovation experts from across the humanitarian sector.

Supported innovators with one-on-one mentoring during the 'Healthy Bones, Healthy Ageing Challenge'. This challenge asked: How might we reimagine older adults’ care experience after breaking a bone due to osteoporosis to ensure their first fracture is their last?

Developed and delivered a participatory practise framework to inform the design of a multifunction cross- sectoral space for WVI-C staff, partners, donors, and recipients to interact and collaborate.

Supported the design, delivery, and reporting of Oxfam’s Australian Aid-funded ‘blockchain’ pilots to increase disaster preparedness in the Pacific region. Designed research methodologies and defined measurements to evaluate the cost, quality, and time-efficiency of distributed ledger technology-based, intra-institutional transfers and cash and voucher assistance for the humanitarian sector.