Dr Aaron Davis

Senior Lecturer UniSA Creative

City West Campus (K4-29)
tel +61 8 830 20672

email Aaron.Davis@unisa.edu.au

Available for media comment
Research Degree Supervisor

About me

Architecture
Co-Design
Sustainable Design
Social Science

Dr Aaron Davis is a Senior Lecturer in Architecture with a teaching and research focus on co-design and community engagement processes, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the intersection between social and environmental sustainability. Aaron is a member of the Australian Research Centre for Interactive and Virtual Environments (IVE) and the Alliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition and Activity (ARENA).

Aaron has significant expertise in sociocultural and environmental sustainability, computer simulation, design processes, community engagement, interdisciplinary collaboration, and design for health and wellbeing. His experience in teaching in industry-linked and research-linked courses is highly regarded and he has a... Read more

UniSA Creative

UniSA Creative explores the creative, cultural and artistic complexities of our world, producing industry-ready professionals and conducting inspired cross-disciplinary research.

Tweets by @UniversitySA

About me

In the media

Date	Title
03/03/2024	Be Curious: MOD, https://ctvplus.org.au/episode/mod/
24/11/2021	Dr Aaron Davis – A man with a social sustainability mission, https://www.architectureanddesign.com.au/people/aaron-davis-social-sustainability-mission
12/04/2016	“Urban heritage in Australia” Radio interview, 891 ABC Adelaide, https://www.abc.net.au/radio/adelaide/
11/04/2016	"Organically developed cities and heritage” Radio interview, Radio Adelaide, http://radioadelaide.org.au
07/04/2016	Lessons in Living Heritage from Tokyo to Adelaide, https://theconversation.com/lessons-in-living-heritage-from-tokyo-to-adelaide-52957

Research

Highlights

Aaron’s research has won prestigious awards including a European Healthcare Design award, and an Australian Institute of Work Health Safety award. Aaron’s research is shaping policy globally. It has been adopted in Australasian Health Facility Design Guidelines, and by Health Cascade, a European Commission project on co-creation in healthcare. His expertise are in-demand globally, with international keynotes, and funded travel to work with global public health leaders. Aaron has attracted over $10M in research funding as a CI across Category 1, 2, 3 and 4 sources in the past four years.

Research

Projects

Excludes commercial-in-confidence projects.

SAPN Energy Masters, Race for 2030, 01/04/2024 - 31/01/2027
Forte Visiting researcher grant 2025, Högskolan Dalarna, 01/01/2025 - 31/12/2025
Reviewing CDR User Requirements, Department of the Treasury, 07/03/2025 - 30/12/2025
Co-designing the VITAL project for juvenile idiopathic arthritis, Arthritis Australia - Grant in Aid, 07/01/2025 - 27/12/2025
Future of Health Museum: A 2024 World Health Day Exhibition, World Health Organisation, 30/11/2023 - 15/12/2025
Thriving at work together, Central Adelaide Local Health Network Incorporated, 01/04/2025 - 31/07/2025
NOVELL Redesign - transforming stroke rehabilitation environments, Unknown, 01/01/2022 - 30/06/2025
Apartment Design, Historic & Character Area Design and Demographics & Housing Choice Research Project, SA Dept for Trade, Tourism and Investment, 03/06/2024 - 30/06/2025
Leveraging human centred design to develop a model of care for older people with Post COVID Condition, Southern Adelaide Local Health Network, 12/04/2024 - 11/04/2025
Co-design for future discounting app, CSIRO Australia, 20/10/2023 - 31/03/2025
Minda community engagement and master plan, Minda Incorporated, 29/02/2024 - 18/02/2025
Centennial Park Masterplan - Brief and Scope of Work, Centennial Park Cemetery Authority, 09/08/2023 - 08/08/2024
Independent Health Check (Dark Patterns), Department of the Treasury, 02/02/2024 - 30/06/2024
Low Carbon Smart Homes Pilot - Review Research Framework, Race for 2030, 17/04/2023 - 02/06/2023
Theo Murphy Initiative Think Tank: A co-design exploration of academic recognition, Australian Academy of Science, 31/03/2021 - 31/03/2022
Co-design of a user-focussed prototype intervention, CSIRO Australia, 25/05/2020 - 31/08/2021

Research

Outputs

Research outputs for the last seven years are shown below. Some long-standing staff members may have older outputs included. To see earlier years visit ORCID or Scopus

Open access indicates that an output is open access.

Highlights

Year	Output
2024	Longworth, GR, De Boer, J, Goh, K, Agnello, DM, McCaffrey, L, Zapata Restrepo, JR, An, Q, Chastin, S, Davis, A, Altenburg, T, Verloigne, M & Giné-Garriga, M 2024, 'Navigating process evaluation in co-creation: a Health CASCADE scoping review of used frameworks and assessed components', BMJ global health, vol. 9, no. 7, pp. 1-14. Open access 9 9 14
2023	Davis, A, Tuckey, M, Gwilt, I & Wallace, N 2023, 'Understanding co-design practice as a process of "welldoing"', International Journal of Art and Design Education, vol. 42, no. 2, pp. 278-293. Open access 5 5 1
2022	Bernhardt, J, Lipson-Smith, R, Davis, A, White, M, Zeeman, H, Pitt, N, Shannon, M, Crotty, M, Churilov, L & Elf, M 2022, 'Why hospital design matters: a narrative review of built environments research relevant to stroke care', International Journal of Stroke, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 370-377. Open access 37 29 52
2022	Davis, A, Wallace, N, Gwilt, I & Tuckey, MR 2022, 'Valuing Processes and Outcomes: A framework for planning co-design in complex systems of health design', 5th Architecture Research Care and Health conference, TU Delft Open, pp. 1-8. Open access
2021	Davis, A, Gwilt, I, Wallace, N & Langley, J 2021, 'Low-contact co-design: considering more flexible spatiotemporal models for the co-design workshop', Strategic Design Research Journal, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 124-137. Open access 44

Chapters

Year	Output
2024	Zabar, M, Peng, F, Davis, A, Kueh, C & Gwilt, I 2024, 'Co-design for sustainable youth mental health in Australia', in K Niedderer et al. (eds), Design for Dementia, Mental Health and Wellbeing: Co-Design, Interventions and Policy, Routledge, ch. 3, pp. 37-49.
2022	Gwilt, I & Davis, A 2022, 'Making data: the next generation', in I Gwilt (ed.), Making Data: Materializing Digital Information, Bloomsbury Visual Arts, UK, ch. 16, pp. 239-246. 1
2022	Gwilt, I, Davis, A, Mignone, J, Smith, RT & Chua, A 2022, 'Augmenting environmental graphics in healthcare spaces', in E Edmunds & C Vear (eds), Augmented reality art: from an emerging technology to a novel creative medium, 3rd ed., Springer, Switzerland, ch. 10, pp. 191-208. Open access
2021	Langley, J, Wallace, N, Davis, A, Gwilt, I, Knowles, S, Partridge, R, Wheeler, G & Ankeny, U 2021, 'COVID co-design does not HAVE to be digital! Why 'which platform should we use?' should not be your first question', in O Williams et al. (eds), COVID-19 and Co-production in Health and Social Care Research, Policy and Practice, Policy Press, UK, ch. 10, pp. 85-95. Open access 9

Journal Articles

Year	Output
2025	Kerr, R, Lipson-Smith, R, Davis, A, White, M, Lam, M, Bernhardt, J, Saa, JP & Yang, T 2025, 'Economic argument for innovative design from valuing patient-centered stroke rehabilitation', Health Environments Research and Design Journal, online, pp. 1-25. Open access
2025	Szeto, K, Davis, A, Arnold, J, Gwilt, I, Forrest, A, Heyne, I, Hewitt, A, Diestel-Feddersen, P, Edwards, D, Singh, B & Maher, C 2025, 'Stepping toward implementation using co-design: development of hospital protocols and resources for using wearable activity trackers in a hospital service', Frontiers in Digital Health, vol. 7, article no. 1520991, pp. 1-14. Open access
2024	Leake, HB, Heathcote, LC, Ferencz, N, Birnie, KA, Davis, A, Karran, EL, Starr, TS, Thorpe, M & Moseley, GL 2024, 'Co-design and evaluation of pain science messages on social media with adolescents with a history of chronic pain', Journal of Pain, vol. 25, no. 9, article no. 104580, pp. 1-16. 1 12
2024	Longworth, GR, De Boer, J, Goh, K, Agnello, DM, McCaffrey, L, Zapata Restrepo, JR, An, Q, Chastin, S, Davis, A, Altenburg, T, Verloigne, M & Giné-Garriga, M 2024, 'Navigating process evaluation in co-creation: a Health CASCADE scoping review of used frameworks and assessed components', BMJ global health, vol. 9, no. 7, pp. 1-14. Open access 9 9 14
2024	Seale, B, Davis, A, Lawson, J, Smith, L, Watson, J & Henderson-Wilson, C 2024, 'Nature-based design in stroke rehabilitation environments: a scoping review', Health Environments Research and Design Journal, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 186-211. Open access 4 4 2
2023	Braithwaite, F, Arnold, J, Davis, A, Gwilt, I, MacIntyre, E, Morris, S, James, K, Lee, K, Marshall, H, Ninnes, P, Scrafton, D, Smith, N & Stanton, T 2023, 'Osteoarthritis consumers as co-researchers: identifying consumer insights to improve osteoarthritis management by co-designing translational research solutions', Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, vol. 31, no. 7, pp. 944-953. Open access 4 5 4
2023	Chua, A, Gwilt, I & Davis, A 2023, 'A flexible third-place, design research enquiry during the pandemic', Design for Health, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 286-295. Open access
2023	Davis, A, Tuckey, M, Gwilt, I & Wallace, N 2023, 'Understanding co-design practice as a process of "welldoing"', International Journal of Art and Design Education, vol. 42, no. 2, pp. 278-293. Open access 5 5 1
2023	Gu, N, Soltani, S, London, K, Pablo, Z & Davis, A 2023, 'Stakeholders' perceptions of digital collaboration in delivering a mixed-use housing development project: a case study in Australia', Buildings, vol. 13, no. 9, pp. 1-25. Open access 3 3 1
2023	Kakoschke, N, Cox, DN, Ryan, J, Gwilt, I, Davis, A, Jansons, P, de Courten, B & Brinkworth, G 2023, 'Disrupting future discounting: a commentary on an underutilised psychological approach for improving adherence to diet and physical activity interventions', Public Health Nutrition, vol. 26, no. 5, pp. 1088-1093. Open access 5 6 4
2023	Wong, S, Davis, A, Selby, PR, Khoo, R, Gwilt, I, Stocker, SL, Ward, MB & Reuter, SE 2023, 'Application of user-centered codesign principles to address barriers in therapeutic drug monitoring', Therapeutic Drug Monitoring, vol. 45, no. 3, pp. 368-375. Open access 4 3 3
2022	Bernhardt, J, Lipson-Smith, R, Davis, A, White, M, Zeeman, H, Pitt, N, Shannon, M, Crotty, M, Churilov, L & Elf, M 2022, 'Why hospital design matters: a narrative review of built environments research relevant to stroke care', International Journal of Stroke, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 370-377. Open access 37 29 52
2022	Hayward, K & Davis, A 2022, 'Science visualization: approaches and resources for making communication simple but not simplistic', Stroke, vol. 53, no. 9, pp. E431-E434. Open access 1 1 8
2022	Laver, K, Davis, A, Gwilt, I, Dalistan, R, Lane, R & Block, H 2022, 'Self-assessment of the home environment to plan for successful ageing: report from a digital health co-design workshop', PLoS Digital Health, vol. 1, no. 7, pp. 1-10. Open access 3 3
2021	Davis, A, Gwilt, I, Wallace, N & Langley, J 2021, 'Low-contact co-design: considering more flexible spatiotemporal models for the co-design workshop', Strategic Design Research Journal, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 124-137. Open access 44
2021	Lipson-Smith, R, Pflaumer, L, Elf, M, Blaschke, S-M, Davis, A, White, M, Zeeman, H & Bernhardt, J 2021, 'Built environments for inpatient stroke rehabilitation services and care: a systematic literature review', BMJ Open, vol. 11, no. 8, article no. e050247. Open access 28 24 23
2021	Tay, BS, Edney, SM, Brinkworth, GD, Cox, DN, Wiggins, B, Davis, A, Gwilt, I, Haveman-Nies, A & Ryan, JC 2021, 'Co-design of a digital dietary intervention for adults at risk of type 2 diabetes', BMC Public Health, vol. 21, no. 1, article no. 2071, pp. 1-12. Open access 16 12 1
2021	Tay, BSJ, Cox, DN, Brinkworth, GD, Davis, A, Edney, SM, Gwilt, I & Ryan, JC 2021, 'Co-design practices in diet and nutrition research: an integrative review', Nutrients, vol. 13, issue 10, article no. 3593 pp. 1-22. Open access 29 30 1
2021	Wallace, N, Davis, A & Gwilt, I 2021, 'Wellbeing through participation: creativity and co-design as processes of "welldoing"', vol. 35, pp. 1-6. Open access
2019	Davis, A 2019, 'Understanding the value of co-creation processes in the built environment', Charrette, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 8-21. Open access

Conferences

Year	Output
2022	Davis, A, Wallace, N, Gwilt, I & Tuckey, MR 2022, 'Valuing Processes and Outcomes: A framework for planning co-design in complex systems of health design', 5th Architecture Research Care and Health conference, TU Delft Open, pp. 1-8. Open access
2021	Davis, A & Gwilt, I 2021, 'Insight: a co-design approach to understanding energy on a university campus', 14th International Conference of the European Academy of Design: Safe Harbours for Design Research, Blucher, pp. 338-349. Open access
2020	Gwilt, I & Davis, A 2020, 'Revealing the hidden: using a co-design approach to explore on campus energy use through the representation of consumption data', in JF Boujut et al. (eds), Proceedings of The Sixth International Conference on Design Creativity 2020, The Design Society, ch. 17, pp. 133-143. Open access 3
2019	Davis, A, Gwilt, I & Andrew, J 2019, 'Match Studio together in the wild: from dialectic contestation to dialogic collaboration', in J Hakkila et al. (eds), Cumulus Conference, University of Lapland, pp. 361-375. Open access
2018	Davis, A & Andrew, J 2018, 'From rationalism to critical pragmatism: revisiting Arnstein's ladder of public participation in co-creation and consultation', 8th State of Australian Cities National Conference, Australian Policy Online, pp. 1-9. Open access 1
2017	Davis, A & Andrew, J 2017, 'Co-creating urban environments to engage citizens in a low-carbon future', International High-Performance Built Environment Conference (iHBE) 2016, Elsevier, vol. 180, pp. 651-657. Open access 14 11
2017	Davis, A 2017, 'Understanding the value generated by a co-creation approach to the built environment', in J Anderson (ed.), Architecture Connects: Association of Architectural Educators 4th International Peer Reviewed Conference, Oxford Brookes University, pp. 5-15. Open access

Non Traditional Outputs

Year	Output
2018	Gwilt, I, Davis, A, McFadyen, R & Kitchingman, A 2018, International Federation of Hospital Engineering Building Award 2018, The International Federation of Healthcare Engineering (IFHE).
2018	Gwilt, I, Leditschke, A, Gaughwin, M & Davis, A 2018, Concepts for a Modbury age friendly precinct, Creating a framework for the design of age friendly communities: the Modbury age friendly city precinct, Kerry packer civic gallery , Adelaide, South Australia, 8-26 October 2018. Open access

Reports

Year	Output
2024	Baumeister, J, Park, J-Y, Cunningham, A, Von Itzstein, S, Gwilt, I, Davis, A & Walsh, J 2024, Patterns in the dark: deceptive practices in online interactions, Data Standards Body, Australia. Open access
2024	Baumeister, J, Park, J-Y, Cunningham, A, Von Itzstein, S, Gwilt, I, Davis, A & Walsh, J 2024, Pressure Test: Deceptive Patterns, Data Standards Board within Federal Treasury, Australia.
2024	Parkyn, M, Davis, A & Madigan, D 2024, Review of apartment design policy - summary report, University of South Australia, Australia. Open access
2022	Parker, S, Brisbin, C & Davis, A 2022, PAC Curriculum review and SACE Stage 1 Semester 2 Sustainable Architecture curriculum, Prince Alfred College, Australia.
2021	Davis, A, Madigan, D, Dühr, S, Kroll, D, Afrooz, AE, Peters, S & Vij, A 2021, Downsizing to the City: project report, University of South Australia, Australia. Open access

External engagement & recognition

Collaborations

Highlights

Aaron has given numerous invited seminars and keynote presentations, including at the Australasian Stroke Society conference in Christchurch, New Zealand on co-design practices in rehabilitation research, the Australian Pain Society Conference in Darwin, Australia, teh 2023 International Dental Congress, in Sydney, and on the NOVELL project for the Stroke Program in Neurorecovery, Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery. Aaron gave the closing keynote for the 2022 Australian National Sustainability Awards and was featured in Architecture & Design magazine. Aaron has led peer-reviewed workshops at ISBNPA (2022), the pre-eminent conference on behaviour change in nutrition and physical activity, and at the Design Research Society international conference (2022).

Aaron has been an invited guest on ABC Radio Adelaide, an Australian Health Design Council podcast, a Channel 44 Science Show, and have hosted short documentary series’ for the CRC for Low Carbon Living. I have hosted public forums and panel discussions including at Australian Heritage Week, the History Festival, and the Festival of Architecture and Design.

External engagement & recognition

Collaborations

Organisation	Country
Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute	NETHERLANDS
BVA BDRC	UNITED KINGDOM
CSIRO Australia (Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research organisation)	AUSTRALIA
Dalarna University	SWEDEN
Deakin University	AUSTRALIA
Edith Cowan University	AUSTRALIA
Flinders University	AUSTRALIA
Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health	AUSTRALIA
Ghent University	BELGIUM
Glasgow Caledonian University	UNITED KINGDOM
Griffith University	AUSTRALIA
King's College London	UNITED KINGDOM
La Trobe University	AUSTRALIA
Monash University	AUSTRALIA
National University of Singapore	SINGAPORE
Northern Adelaide Local Health Network	AUSTRALIA
Prince Alfred College	AUSTRALIA
Ramon Llull University	SPAIN
RMIT University	AUSTRALIA
Sheffield Hallam University	UNITED KINGDOM
Silver Thomas Hanley (STH) Health Architecture	AUSTRALIA
South Australian Health and Medical and Research Institute (SAHMRI)	AUSTRALIA
Swinburne University of Technology	AUSTRALIA
The Hospital Research Foundation Group - Arthritis	AUSTRALIA
Torrens University Australia	AUSTRALIA
Umeå University	SWEDEN
University of Adelaide	AUSTRALIA
University of Calgary	CANADA
University of Melbourne	AUSTRALIA
University of South Australia	AUSTRALIA
University of Sydney	AUSTRALIA
University of the Arts London	UNITED KINGDOM
University of Western Australia	AUSTRALIA
University of York	UNITED KINGDOM
Wageningen University and Research Centre	NETHERLANDS
Western Sydney University	AUSTRALIA
Women's and Children's Health Network	AUSTRALIA

External engagement & recognition

Engagement/recognition	Year
Best Health and Wellbeing Program Australian Workplace Health and Safety Awards	2024
European Healthcare Design Awards 2022 Design Research Project Royal College of Physicians London	2022
Honorary Mention Paper Award CUMULUS Conference	2019
Fellow Salzburg Global Seminar	2016

Teaching & student supervision

Teaching strengths

Research Methodologies
Social Sustainability
Co-design
Community Engagement
Design Processes

Highlights

Aaron teaches a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses at UniSA through traditional lecture-tutorial structures, studio-based teaching, and project-based work integrated learning. Aaron has significant expertise in a diverse range of areas including architectural design processes, creativity and innovation, sociocultural and environmental sustainability, computer simulation and environmental modelling, community engagement, interdisciplinary collaboration, and architecture and design for health and wellbeing.

Aaron has been recognised in the UniSA Excellence in Teaching awards, and excels in on-campus, online and blended modes of teaching. He is empathetic and approachable while also critical and constructive, and always seeks to make course content engaging and interesting. He has delivered numerous keynote addresses on teaching innovation, and has published on architectural pedagogy in the Journal of the Association of Architectural Education (Charette), and on models of interdisciplinary education in an award winning paper at a Cumulus Design Education Association conference.

Teaching & student supervision

Research degree supervision

Supervisions from 2010 shown

Thesis title	Student status
A community wide intervention to improve equity of uptake of a universal sports voucher program	Current
A Novel Approach to Codesign for Sustainable Youth Mental Health in Australia	Current
A precision co-design approach for tailoring a whole of community pain education intervention in rural Australia	Current
Cultivating systemic safety to prevent workplace sexual harassment	Current
Demonstrative design: Understanding the role of creative desire and the interpretive potential (hermeneutics) of architecture in the creation of authoritative and engaging experiences	Current
Designing data for immersive cultural experiences and events	Current
Exploring a formal integrative learning system for entrepreneurial new ventures.	Current
Improving Clinical Implementation Of Pain Science Education For Chronic Pain	Current
Optimising outcomes for people with osteoarthritis after knee joint replacement surgery: A neurotype inclusive approach	Current
Responsible Housing: Creating a strategy to facilitate holistic sustainable development in the Australian housing industry	Current
Transforming the perioperative journey: leveraging immersive technologies to reduce stress and anxiety for better patient outcomes	Current
An investigation into the use of augmented environmental graphic design to help improve employee wellbeing within the healthcare workplace	Completed

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Dr Aaron Davis

About me

About me

UniSA Creative

About me

Professional Associations

In the media

Experience

Qualifications

Research

Highlights

Projects

Outputs

Highlights

Chapters

Journal Articles

Conferences

Non Traditional Outputs

Reports

Current research & highlights

External engagement & recognition

Collaborations

Highlights

Collaborations

External engagement & recognition

Best Health and Wellbeing Program

European Healthcare Design Awards 2022 Design Research Project

Honorary Mention Paper Award

Fellow

Teaching & student supervision

Teaching strengths

Highlights

Courses and programs

Courses I teach

Programs I'm associated with

Research degree supervision

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