Rebecca Cain

Rebecca Cain is Dean of the School of Design and Creative Arts at Loughborough University, Professor of Transdisciplinary Design, and a member of the University Executive Board. An experienced strategic leader in higher education, she has previously held senior roles including Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor for Vibrant and Inclusive Communities, Associate Dean for Research and Innovation and Associate Dean for Enterprise.

Rebecca is a strong advocate for the role of design and creative education in shaping policy, advancing skills development and addressing complex global challenges. An industrial designer by training, her work is distinguished by a transdisciplinary, systems-based, and human-centred approach, with her research bringing together diverse teams across design, arts, engineering, social sciences and health to drive innovation for human and planetary wellbeing. She is particularly passionate about strengthening the creative education and research pipeline and has supported the development of over 30 doctoral and early career researchers.

She brings extensive sector and international engagement through roles with the Design Research Society (as a former Chair and Vice-Chair), the Design Museum, UKRI, and the British Council Hong Kong Arts and Culture Network. She is a Fellow of the RSA and previously spent 12 years at the University of Warwick’s Warwick Manufacturing Group, where she led the Experiential Engineering Research Group.