Exploring transdisciplinary innovation and emerging technologies

Dr Benjamin Matthews’ research examines how communication, design and technology intersect to shape the future of industry, culture and sustainability.

Dr Benjamin Matthews is an academic whose research investigates how new technologies and creative practices can be used to solve human problems and build more sustainable futures through collaboration and innovation. His work sits at the crossroads of humanities, creative industries and science, challenging disciplinary boundaries and aligning with the goals of the College of Human and Social Futures at UON.

“I’m interested in what happens when different ways of knowing and working come together to tackle complex challenges,” Benjamin said. “For example, how can microbial biotechnology support sustainable industries, and what kinds of design and engagement practices do we need to make sure these solutions are socially inclusive and culturally grounded.”

Benjamin’s research impacts communities, industries and vulnerable groups who are often left out of technological transitions. Through his projects he collaborates with partners across academia, startups, government and First Nations organisations to design pathways for innovation that are human-centred, ethical and globally relevant.

Wild Yeast Zoo – Microbes for sustainable innovation

Benjamin is an AI with the Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, and co-founder of Wild Yeast Zoo, a hybrid citizen science project and biotech company. They’re building a library of wild Australian microbes to support sustainable industrial innovation and nature-based solutions across food, agriculture and bio-based manufacturing. The team behind the project have successfully completed CSIRO’s highly competitive national ON Accelerate program, and been awarded over one million dollars worth of funding for both research and commercialisation processes.

“Microbes are one of the most powerful and underexplored resources we have for building a sustainable future,” Benjamin said. “Through Wild Yeast Zoo we are developing an ethically sourced microbial library, aligned with the Nagoya Protocol. That’s a framework designed to protect First Nations intellectual property, opening new opportunities for industry and science, and the communities they impact alike.”

This work highlights the potential for synthetic biology and creative industries to intersect in driving entrepreneurship, new value chains and sustainable economic growth.

Citizen science and First Nations collaboration

In collaboration with the Awabakal Local Aboriginal Land Council, Benjamin is leading a project to explore the role of microbes in native flora at the old Burwood Bowling Club site. This initiative connects microbial science with citizen science and Country based stewardship, opening new pathways for community engagement.

“In terms of embedding biotechnology in society, it is essential to co create knowledge with communities,” Benjamin said. “These collaborations show us new ways of understanding science as part of living culture, not just a technical process.”

The future of creative work and digital engagement

Benjamin researches how technologies like AI are driving automation, reshaping creative industries and the future of work. His teaching in courses like Design Thinking and Innovation, Digital Media Engagement and Professional Career Ready Studio integrates real world industry challenges, rapid prototyping and problem based learning to prepare students for the demands of evolving creative economies.

“Increasingly, the role of creatives is to curate, interpret and innovate in partnership with new tools and technologies,” Benjamin said. “Our graduates need not only technical skills but also the ability to collaborate across disciplines and industries. In my courses, students get to engage with industry on real tasks and real world problems, ensuring they connect directly with the reality of being a professional creative right now.”

Design thinking

Benjamin’s research into design thinking examines both its potential and its limitations. He is interested in how it can move beyond formulaic applications to include discursive, ethical and more than human perspectives. His work shows how design thinking can support innovation in diverse settings, from immersive technologies such as virtual simulation spaces to the evolving needs of the design profession itself, where rapid automation is changing creative work.

By emphasising collaboration, critical reflection and human centred practice, Benjamin positions design thinking as a tool that enables teams to address complex problems across disciplines while keeping cultural and social contexts in focus.

Artificial intelligence in creative practice and education

Separately, Benjamin also investigates the role of artificial intelligence in reshaping design education and creative practice. His research explores how automation is transforming creative work, raising new challenges for professional practice and higher education.

“The emergence of AI in creative practice challenges us to rethink the skills we teach,” Benjamin said. “Rather than competing with automation on technical tasks, we need to emphasise the human capabilities that AI cannot easily replicate — judgement, negotiation, facilitation and creativity in context.”

Immersive Technology and Behavioural change

Benjamin’s research on extended reality (XR) technologies explores their potential in teaching, learning and creative practice. His work examines how immersive environments can be harnessed for simulation based learning, creativity, helping to respond to and resolve human problems with compassion, and new forms of remote presence during times of disruption.

Benjamin is also engaged in research on behavioural change in collaboration with sociologists, psychologists, clinicians and scientists. This work focuses on how communication, design and technology can help address pressing public wellbeing and health challenges such as youth debt driven by emerging technology, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and patterns of mobile phone use while driving.

“Problems like AMR, debt or driving while texting can all be meaningfully impacted by creative operatives armed with digital technology and training in human-centred design. These are not only scientific but behavioural issues,” Benjamin said. “We need to understand how people make everyday decisions, and how design and communication strategies can support better outcomes by engaging with and deploying emerging technology.”

Through these collaborations, Benjamin’s research develops approaches that integrate behavioural science with creative industries methods. His projects in this area highlight the importance of transdisciplinary work in tackling complex social and medical problems, ensuring that solutions are both evidence-based and accessible to the communities they aim to serve.

Creative collectives and entrepreneurship

A strand of Benjamin’s earlier research focused on how creative collectives and micro enterprises use technology and networks to collaborate. These insights continue to inform his work in entrepreneurship and innovation training, equipping the next generation of graduates with the skills needed to succeed in fast changing industries.

“The skills required by a collective, collaboration, creativity and entrepreneurship, are the very skills we emphasise in our programs,” Benjamin said. “We are equipping the communicators, designers and innovators of the future with the tools they need to thrive.”

^{Photo credit: Katherine Williams}