QUT - Academic profiles - Dr Tim Williams

Biography

Dr Tim Williams is a senior lecturer in Industrial Design at QUT, specialising in computer-aided design, manufacturing technology, and transportation design. He holds a PhD. in Product Ecosystem Design from QUT (2019) and a Bachelor of Design from UniSA (1988). His career spans nearly 20 years as a practising industrial designer, with significant contributions to medical, electronic, outdoor goods, and play equipment design. He has been recognised with several awards, including the Design Industry Association’s Award of Merit in 2000 for the Minelab Explorer metal detector.

At QUT since 2008, Dr Williams has developed innovative teaching methods, such as video tutorials for CAD instruction, and led the industrial design study tour, enhancing students’ international exposure. His research focuses on integrating technology in design, particularly virtual reality and artificial intelligence. From 2014 to 2017, he served as the Study Area Coordinator for Industrial Design, playing a key role in curriculum development and planning for the new DE43 course.

He has collaborated extensively with industry partners, including leading projects at ARM Hub. Notably, he led the foundational stage of the “Young Guns Shoot for AI Automated Shipping Container First” project, developing an automated packing solution, and the “Voltin” project, creating the AutoBAT system for AI-assisted building façade inspections. These projects highlight his expertise in the practical application of AI and automation, significantly impacting productivity and safety in their respective fields.

His teaching philosophy emphasises experiential learning, and he is committed to fostering real-world learning experiences through University-industry collaboration. He has also supported PhD students through initiatives like the “PhD club” and led a longitudinal study on the impact of study tours on students’ international perspectives.

+61 7 3138 6765

tim.williams@qut.edu.au

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QUT alumni

Personal details

Positions

Senior Lecturer
Faculty of Creative Industries, Education & Social Justice,
School of Design,
Industrial Design

Research field

Urban and regional planning, Architecture, Design

Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2020

Qualifications

PhD (Queensland University of Technology)
Bachelor of Design (Industrail Design) (Uni of South Australia)

Professional memberships and associations

Member of the Design Institute of Australia

Publications

QUT ePrints

For more publications by Tim, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).

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Filter publications:

2025

Fyfield, B., Mellick, Z., Cook, D., Koch, C. & Williams, T. (2025). Using ChatGPT as a virtual assistant in the design studio. In Lahby, M. (Ed.), Empowering Digital Education with ChatGPT (pp. 156–174). CRC Press. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/247416

2023

Scharoun, L., Gomez, R. & Williams, T. (2023). Transforming Perspectives: Fostering Cross-Cultural and Transdisciplinary Competencies through Industry Engagement in a Short-Term Study Tour. In Scharoun, L., Meth, D., Crowther, P., Brough, D., Burton, L. O. & Teixeira, M. F. L. A. (Eds.), Contemporary Design Education in Australia (pp. 179–203). Intellect Ltd. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/244585

2021

Burke-Shyne, S., Gallegos, D. & Williams, T. (2021). 3D food printing: Nutrition opportunities and challenges. British Food Journal, 123(2), 649–663. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/205133
Williams, T. & Satherley, S. (2021). Getting a PhD - 'How Hard Can It Be?'. In Blackler, T. & Miller, E. (Eds.), How to Be a Design Academic (pp. 59–81). CRC Press. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/209742

2017

Dunbabin, M., Taboada, M. & Williams, T. (2017). IRBEE - Interactive Robot-Boats for Environmental Education [Exhibition]. Robotronica Festival. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/116743

2016

Williams, T. & Chamorro-Koc, M. (2016). Future product ecosystems: Discovering the value of connections. Proceedings of DRS 2016, Design Research Society 50th Anniversary Conference, Volume 4, 1643–1658. Design Research Society. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/96542

2015

Williams, T. (2015). Using the evolution of consumer products to inform design. Proceedings of the 6th IASDR (The International Association of Societies of Design Research Congress, 2222–2235. IASDR (The International Association of Societies of Design Research). https://eprints.qut.edu.au/90159

2014

Williams, T. (2014). Developing a transdisciplinary approach to improve urban traffic congestion based on Product Ecosystem Theory. The Sustainable City IX: Urban Regeneration and Sustainability [WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment, Volume 191], 723–733. WIT Press. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/77967

2013

Williams, T. & Chamorro-Koc, M. (2013). Product ecosystems: an emerging methodological approach to study the implementation of disruptive innovations: the case of the CityCar. Proceedings of the 5th International Congress of International Association of Societies of Design Research (IASDR), 1286–1295. Shibaura Institute of Technology / Japanese Society for the Science of Design. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/68335

2011

Williams, T. (2011). Improving team dynamics and innovation : the “Aspect Design” approach applied to interaction design. –10.

2009

Williams, T. (2009). Sustainable transport and the impact on the built environment. Proceedings from the Smart and Sustainable Built Environment Conference (SASBE2009), 1–8. Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Architecture. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/27337

2008

Williams, T. (2008). Promoting the use of cycling as an environmentally and socially sustainable form of transport. Proceedings of 3rd International Solar Cities Congress 2008, 224–231. International Solar Cities Initiative. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/27336

2007

Freney, M. & Williams, T. (2007). Computer aided assessment, tablet PCs and "clickers" in design education. Proceedings of ConnectED 2007 International Conference on Design Education, 1–5. University of New South Wales. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/25996

A complete list of publications is available at: https://www.qut.edu.au/about/our-people/academic-profiles/tim.williams

Supervision

Supervision topics

Immersive audio data visualisation for better engagement of residential communities exposed to aircraft noise pollution

Dr Tim Williams