Russell Marshall MEng, PhD, CEng, MIET, FHEA, is Professor of Design and Human Modelling in the School of Design and Creative Arts at Loughborough University. He is Associate Dean for Teaching and leads on the strategic development and delivery of the School’s portfolio of taught programmes. This includes leadership of all learning and teaching across Undergraduate and Postgraduate Programmes, policy and practice development, and chairing of Learning and Teaching committee, staff-student liaison and Programme Boards. He is also head of the Design Ergonomics Research Group.
Russell’s research interests focus on the synergy between design and ergonomics/human factors. He has been Principle Investigator and Co-Investigator on research projects with total funding over two million pounds since 2004, with funding secured from a variety of sources across government, research councils, and industry.
Research covers a broad range of topics within Product, Industrial and Engineering Design including: Digital Human Modelling and tools and techniques for facilitating and empowering designers in human-centred design practice; Inclusive and Universal Design; Ergonomics and Human Factors in design, Modular product design, and Drawing and Visualisation.
Project examples include:
- The definition of a direct vision standard for HGVs, funded by Transport for London (2016-present). The digital modelling of blind spots in HGVs, funded by Transport for London (2014-2015) Transport for London and Transport & Environment (2014) and the Department for Transport (2010-2011).
- Digital seating evaluations and fitting trials of aircraft seats for a major commercial aircraft manufacturer (2016-2019).
- Occupant accommodation exploring novel driving postures for Nissan Motor co, funded by Nissan and the Technology Strategy Board (2012-2015).
- Modelling of older users of public transport, funded by the Medical Research Council (2011-2014).
- Exploring issues associated with kitchen living throughout the life course, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (2009-2012).
- Addressing accessibility and user needs in transport (AUNT-SUE), funded by the EPSRC (2004-2009).
- A range of smaller projects addressing a broad range of interests including: digital modelling of human occupants for the Air Accident Investigation Branch, the evaluation of the motions and impacts experienced by lifeboat crew for the RNLI, ergonomics evaluations of outdoor fitness equipment for HAGS-SMP, ergonomics evaluations of ride-on grass cutting machinery for Ransomes-Jacobsen, the assessment of dynamic instrument cluster elements for Jaguar Landrover and the assessment and development of an accessible journey planner for Transport for London.
Russell is principal developer of SAMMIE the digital human modelling system. Initially developed by Professor Keith Case at Nottingham University and then at Loughborough in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering. Since 1999 development and exploitation has been led by Russell together with Dr Steve Summerskill in the School of Design and Creative Arts.
SAMMIE is the embodiment of ongoing research into digital human modelling, anthropometry, ergonomics, workplace and product design, biomechanical analysis, vision assessment, and universal design. The most recent work includes the development of a new volumetric field of view projection technique to support the modelling of blind spots. Other notable developments includes the support of digital human modelling for inclusive design through HADRIAN. HADRIAN was the outcome of part of the AUNT-SUE project and provides a database of over 100 people, the majority of whom are older or with some form of disability. This database can be conceived as a virtual user group who can be asked to perform tasks within the SAMMIE system to evaluate existing or new designs for their level of accommodation.
Russell is co-director of TRACEY: drawing and visualization research, at Loughborough University. TRACEY is a research organisation that hosts and publishes diverse perspectives on drawing and visualisation. Its aims are facilitated through two main activities: a highly regarded International peer-reviewed electronic open access journal and as host for the Drawing Research Network (DRN). He is also co-editor of the academic book series Drawing In (Bloomsbury) with Phil Sawdon and Marsha Meskimmon.
Russell is also a peer-review college member for the EPSRC and the AHFE.
As Associate Dean for Teaching, Russell oversees strategic development and operational delivery of all Undergraduate and Postgraduate programmes in the School. Previously, he was Director of Undergraduate Studies and before that, Programme Leader for BSc User Centred Design, BSc Design Ergonomics and MA/MSc 2D and 3D Visualisation.
During the last eleven years he has designed, implemented and led three new programmes at Loughborough, including BSc Design Ergonomics and BSc User Centred Design and MA/MSc 2D and 3D Visualisation.
He has been teaching since 1997 on over 20 UG and PG modules and has been module leader for 8 of those. Most recently he has been module leader for DSB015/DSB016 Design and Manufacturing Technologies (30 modular credits) and DSB203 Virtual Product Evaluation (10 Modular credits). Current teaching practice also includes contributions to a range of modules across undergraduate and postgraduate taught courses.
Since October 2018 Russell is chief external examiner for the all of the Product Design Programmes at the University of Brighton.
Russell is recognised as one of the world’s leading researchers in the area of digital human modelling (DHM). This includes consultancy and education in digital human modelling. He is the current lead developer of SAMMIE, providing a competitive advantage in many research projects.
SAMMIE is used in research, teaching and enterprise at Loughborough University and externally at Universities around the world including: University of California, University of Crete, Skovde University Sweden, University of New South Wales, Amirkabir University Iran, University Campus Suffolk Brazil, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Ryerson University Toronto, International Islamic University Malaysia, University of Strathclyde, National Institute of Industrial Engineering Mumbai, National Institute of Health India, Warsaw University of Technology, University of Botswana, University of Lisbon, Jungwon University Korea, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, South China University of Technology.
SAMMIE is also used commercially at a range of International companies and some of the largest global consultancy services including: Transport for London, Philips, CCD, Mott Macdonald, SNC-Lavalin Rail Consultancy Practice, NCR, Nissan, Ricardo, Institute of Naval Medicine, TRL, Rail Safety and Standards Board, SkyTraders, Derby Hospital NHS Trust, Indian Defence Institute, Rolls Royce, National Air Traffic Services.
Since February 2018 Russell has been an integral member of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe’s (UNECE) Vulnerable Road User Proxi (VRU-Proxi) group, a subsidiary to the Working Party on General [road] Safety (GSRG). The Proxi group is tasked with developing a draft regulatory proposal that will improve a driver’s ability to avoid collisions with VRUs including direct field of view. Since June 2020, he has also been a member of the VRU Direct Vision Task Force, set up to define key details of the standard.