Rate My Professor Richard Blythe

Professor Richard Blythe serves as Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Faculty of Humanities at Curtin University since June 2021 and is a member of the Senior Executive Team. He contributes to strategic governance through the Digital Steering Committee, overseeing the university's digital strategy and leading innovation in AI for learning and teaching. Blythe holds a PhD in design and practice-based research from RMIT University, a Master of Architecture from the University of Melbourne, a Bachelor of Architecture, and a Bachelor of Environmental Design from the Tasmanian State Institute of Technology. His distinguished career spans leadership in architecture and design education. Previously, he was Dean of the College of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Tech from 2017 to 2021, where he established a national research centre for smart design and construction and created a Creativity and Innovation District. At RMIT University, he served as Dean and Professor of the School of Architecture and Design from 2012, following five years as Head of the school and as Associate Dean of Research in the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning. Earlier, he lectured at the University of Tasmania for 14 years, acting as deputy head of the School of Architecture and vice chancellor's representative on the Tasmanian government's Building and Construction Industries Council. A founding director of the architecture practice Terroir since 1999, his projects have featured at the Venice Biennale and the National Portrait Gallery, earning national and international design awards.

Blythe's research specializations include practice-based research in architecture and design, creative practice, pedagogy, and doctoral training for practitioners. He was the primary author of the EU Marie Curie Initial Training Network grant ADAPTr (2012-2016) and the Australian Office for Learning and Teaching grant DAPr (2016-2017), securing over $6.8 million in funding for multi-university research alliances. Notable publications encompass 'What If Design Practice Matters?' (2013), 'Doctoral Training for Practitioners: ADAPTr (Architecture, Design and Art Practice Research)' (2017), 'An Epistemology of Venturous Practice' (2016), 'The Design Studio: Some Constellational Aspects' (2015), and 'Topological Errors in Creative Practice Research: Understanding the Reflective Hinge and the Reflective Gap' (2012). He has chaired the Australian Institute of Architects National Education Committee, served as president of the Society of Architectural Historians Australia and New Zealand, sat on the Australian Deans of the Built Environment Executive Committee, acted as review editor for Routledge and the Journal for Architecture Research, and was an Advisory Board member for Ashgate Publishing’s 'Design Research in Architecture' series. In 2011, he received the Velux Professorial Fellowship at Aarhus School of Architecture. His leadership emphasizes integrating practice with high-quality teaching, interdisciplinary collaboration, and impactful industry partnerships.