About
At the age of 26, Dr Hao-Ming (Guobin) Xia became the inaugural Assistant Professor in Digital Design and Innovation at Heriot-Watt University’s School of Textiles and Design. He currently serves as an Assistant Professor in Product Design at the University of Liverpool’s School of Engineering, where he leads the Design4Life Research Group. He has an interdisciplinary academic background with expertise spanning Fine Arts, Design, Media and Film Studies, Immersive Computing, Colour Science, Education, Business, and Entrepreneurship, developed through training and research at leading global institutions.
Dr Xia’s research focuses on two interlinked themes: the design of technologies to enhance human well-being, and the creation of systems that also account for non-human actors, ranging from ecosystems to artificial agents. He is recognised for establishing, as the first researcher, the study of colour–cognitive performance interactions within immersive virtual environments, thereby opening a new interdisciplinary research field at the intersection of colour science, cognition, and immersive experience design. He has published extensively in AHCI-, SCI-, and SSCI-indexed journals, led funded projects in colour science, digital health, digital heritage, and biophilic design, and worked closely with industry partners to translate research into impactful real-world solutions. Alongside his research, he has supervised a diverse cohort of postgraduate researchers to successful completion, supporting the development of emerging interdisciplinary scholars.
Beyond his research activities, Dr Xia actively contributes to the academic community. He serves as a Review Editor for Frontiers in Imaging (Imaging Applications) and regularly reviews for the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), and the InterAct Peer Review College. In addition, he reviews for major academic publishers, including Sage, Routledge (Taylor & Francis), Wiley, and Springer.
Dr Xia is a Fellow or member of several professional societies, including the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), the Higher Education Academy (HEA), the Design Research Society (DRS), the Royal Photographic Society (RPS), the International Colour Association (AIC), and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).
Prizes or Honours
- Pioneer in Education (PIE) Teaching Excellence Award (Shortlist) (Heriot-Watt University, 2023)