Healthy ageing: designing for our future selves

07 July 2023 13:00 - 14:00 The Royal Society Free
Healthy Ageing

This event is part of the Royal Society's Summer Science Exhibition 2023.

Design Age Institute (Melanie Smith and Carly Dickson) will discuss how designing for your future self can help us age well. We will explore the power of innovative age-inclusive design to help everyone age happier and healthier as well as debunk common ageing myths and misconceptions.

Melanie Smith is a creative leader and manages the Design Age Institute at the RCA. She joined the RCA from the Engineering Design Centre at the University of Cambridge and holds a BA (Hons) Fine Art from UCCA, PGCE Design & Technology and MEd both from the University of Cambridge.

Melanie started her career as a conceptual artist and painter, later pursuing interior design and education. She has undertaken numerous commissions for high profile clients, with her predominant creative interest in inclusive design, gender stereotypes and creative rebellion.

Carly Dickson is a designer focused on creating and promoting radically accessible, wildly engaging experiences for people of all ages and abilities. As a Knowledge Exchange Fellow at DAI, she helps synthesise and share DAI’s work to enable healthy and happy ageing through desirable products, services and environments. She co-authored the book Just Living: Homes for Our Future Selves and has previously worked at the MIT AgeLab and Alison Brooks Architects. Carly is a RHFAC Accessibility Assessor and holds a Master of Architecture from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design.

Attending the event

This talk will be held in the Kohn Centre on Friday 7 July 2023, 1 — 1.50pm.

  • Free to attend
  • In person only
  • No registration required
  • Suitable for everyone
  • Travel and accessibility information - contact us directly to arrange any specific accessibility requirements
  • Food and drink will be available for purchase at our onsite café

For all enquiries, please email us.