Work experience

  • Research Associate in Modern Energy Cooking Services @MECS. Loughborough, UK. 2024 -

    By collecting insights from low income users and evaluating their needs, my aim is to help create the next generation of electric cooking products designed for people with limited disposable income.

  • Senior UX Researcher @CityBee. Vilnius, Lithuania. 2023-2024.

    I built and ran the CityBee Lab, a research program dedicated to close collaboration between CityBee and shared mobility enthusiasts to help the company make informed user-oriented decisions.

  • Research Fellow in Gender-Inclusive Energy Innovations. @Africa-UK project GENS. Brunel University London, UK. 2020-2022.

    Using ethnographic research, I collected energy-related issues in sub-Saharan Africa’s informal urban settlements and facilitated local energy companies to design gender-inclusive energy innovations.

  • Research Associate in Distributed Manufacture for Circular Textiles. @Burberry Material Futures Research Group. Royal College of Arts, London, UK. 2019

    I analysed how to enable UK-based SME apparel brands and designers to design and manufacture circular garments produced from the local food industry by-products and wastes.

  • Doctoral Researcher in Sustainable Product-Service Systems. @EU-funded project LENSin. Brunel University London, UK | Worldwide. 2016-2019

    I developed a scenario-based idea generation toolkit aiming to help industrial companies and designers generate ideas for sustainable product-service systems.

  • Design Research Assistant in Crowdsourced Food Innovation Platforms. @EPSRC-funded project Open Food. Brunel University London, UK. 2015

    I applied preference market research to engage food companies with their customers as co-creators of products to serve the needs of the rapidly innovating food market.

  • Product Development Intern in Packaging Design. HAVI Global Solutions, London, UK. 2014

    I developed packaging items for large food brands and kept projects organised and clients updated with the projects’ progress.

Education

  • PhD in Sustainable Product-Service Systems, Brunel University London, UK. 2016-2019

  • MSc in Integrated Product Design, Brunel University London, UK. 2013-2014

  • Study Exchange in Service Design, University of Lapland, Rovaniemi, Finland. 2011

  • BA in Product Design, Vilnius Academy of Arts, Vilnius, Lithuania. 2008-2012

Research skills

  • Planning of bespoke research approaches with qualitative research activities.

  • Implementation of the Design Research Methodology (DRM).

  • Facilitation of multi-stakeholder data collection workshops, including vulnerable participants.

  • Analysis and synthesis of research findings and presentation of insights in visual stories.

  • Advising on prototyping and piloting solutions based on the research findings.

  • Development of user-friendly and effective design tools.

  • Collaboration with interdisciplinary and multicultural teams.

  • Travelling for research, including low- and middle-income contexts.

  • Mentoring on design research methods and facilitation of design sprints.

  • Writing academic papers and reports, communicating project progress and outcomes.

Pleasures

I love travelling and all things sports-related: road cycling, running, yoga, skiing and surfing. I have travelled around the World, completed two marathons and crossed South Korea on a bicycle.