Linus Tan, Ph.D.

Hello, and welcome to my website!

My name is Linus Tan (陈励煌) and this is my digital portfolio of works as a researcher, educator, and designer. I’m currently a lecturer at Swinburne University of Technology, where I research on how architects and designers think, act and learn. I also investigate how using Generative AI changes the way designers think, behave, and learn.

Qualifications
  • Doctor of Philosophy, Design (2018 – 2021)
    Swinburne University of Technology
  • University Learning and Teaching Graduate Certificate (2019 – 2020)
    Swinburne University of Technology
  • Research & Innovation Management Graduate Certificate (2018 – 2019)
    Swinburne University of Technology
  • Master of Architecture (2011 – 2012)
    University of Melbourne
  • Bachelor of Environments (2008 – 2010)
    University of Melbourne
Journal publications (12)
  • Sandris Zeivots, S., Casey, A., Winchester, T., Webster, J., Wang, X., Tan, L., Smeenk, W., Schulte, F. P., Scholkmann, A., Paulovich, B., Muñoz, D., Mignone, J., Mantai, L., Hrastinski, S., Godwin, R., Engwall, O., Dindas, H., van Dijk, M., Chubb, L. A. Rapanta, C., Jaldemark, J. & Hayes, S. 2025. Reshaping Higher Education Designs and Futures: Postdigital Co-design with Generative Artificial Intelligence, Postdigital Science and Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-025-00595-4 
  • Chen, C., Tan, L., Blackmore, L., Tweedale, H., Nygaard, C., Burry, M. 2025. From Fruiting to Building: Exploring Dual-Purpose Mycelium Structures for Circular Economy Strategies, Technology | Architecture + Design Journal, 9(2), pp348-362. https://doi.org/10.1080/24751448.2025.2534782 
  • Tan, L., Kocsis, A. 2024. Ill-defined problems in wicked learning environments, She Ji: The Journal of Design, Economics, and Innovation, 10, pp456-473, doi:10.1016/j.sheji.2024.11.004
  • Tan, L. 2024. Designing an AI Career Mentor for Early Career Researchers, CERN IdeaSquare Journal of Experimental Innovation, 8(3), pp42-51, doi:10.23726/cij.2024.1576
  • Tan, L., Luhrs, M. 2024. Using Generative AI Midjourney to enhance divergent and convergent thinking in an architect’s creative design process, The Design Journal, 27(4), pp677-699, doi:10.1080/14606925.2024.2353479
  • Kocsis, A., Kenderline, S., Tan L. From art introspection to selfie co-creation, Research in Arts & Education, 2024(1), pp68-77, doi:10.54916/rae.142473
  • Tan, L., Kocsis, A., Burry, J. 2023. Advancing Donald Schön’s Reflective Practitioner: Where to Next?, Design Issues, 39(3), pp3-18, doi:10.1162/desi_a_00722
  • Tan, L., Kocsis, A., Burry, J. 2023. Picking a design, or a design team? The role of reflective practice and team learning in architecture competitions, The Design Journal, 26(4), pp580-603 doi:10.1080/14606925.2023.2215418
  • Tan, L., Kocsis, A., Burry, J., Kyndt, E. 2023. Performance of architectural teams: The role of team learning, reflexivity, boundary crossing and error communication, Design Studies, 89, doi:10.1016/j.destud.2023.101190
  • Tan, L., Mesa, D., Kocsis, A., Down, A., Thong, C., Mattila, P., Lodewyckx, S. 2022. Building team research targets and capacity in innovation hubs, CERN IdeaSquare Journal of Experimental Innovation, 6(2), pp4-11, doi:10.23726/cij.2022.1396
  • Tan, L. 2021. Collaborative cultures of architecture teams: Team learning and reflective practice, The Design Journal, 24(3), pp489-98, doi:10.1080/14606925.2020.1864942
  • Tan, L., & Kvan, T. 2018. Finding and using ambiguity to search for innovation opportunities, Design Management Journal, 13(1), pp17-29. doi:10.1111/dmj.12045
Non Traditional Research Outputs (1)
  • Reeves, A., Salama. A. A., Tan L. 2025. Immersive Experience: The Gloop Factory, Melbourne Design Week 2023, Victoria, Australia
Conference proceedings (2)
  • Neuhofer, B., Zhang, Y., Tan, L. (Eds.). 2024. 7 Experience Summit 2024, Integrating Experiences: Working Together to Create Tomorrow, Experience Research Society.
  • Neuhofer, B., Goh, S., and Tan, L. (eds.). 2023. Transformational Experiences Beyond Borders: Partnership Development for Sustainable Futures, Auckland University of Technology. doi:10.24135/7es
Refereed conference articles (27)
  • Ranscombe, C., Tan, L., Gopsill, J. 2025. Analysing Designer-GenAI Interactions: Characterising Designers’ Behaviours During Inspiration and Ideation, in Proceedings of the Design Society: International Conference on Engineering Design 2025, pp561-570. doi:10.1017/pds.2025.10070
  • Tan, L., Luke, T. 2024. Accelerating future scenario development with text-based GenAI (ChatGPT), in Proceedings of the 29th CAADRIA Conference, Singapore, 20 – 26 April 2024, Vol. 1, pp39-48. doi:10.52842/conf.caadria.2024.1.039
  • Yang, L., Tan, L., Xu, J., and Fan, F. 2024. Design for Manufacturing: Learning Processes of a New Product Development Design Team, Proceedings of the Design Research Society 2024, Boston, USA, 2328 June 2024. doi:10.21606/drs.2024.507
  • Tan, L. 2024. Integrating the Theory of Experience into architectural design workflow, in Proceedings of 7 Experiences Summit 2023, Auckland, New Zealand, 28 Nov – 1 Dec 2023, pp191-194, doi:10.24135/7es.6
  • Ranscombe, C., Tan, L.., Goudswaard, M., Snider, C. 2024. Inspiration or indication? Evaluating the qualities of design inspiration boards created using text to image generative AI, Proceedings of the Design Society, 4, pp2207-2216, doi:1017/pds.2024.223
  • Rogers, D., Tan, L., Kocsis, A. 2024. Eliciting desired experiences: Design affordances to communicate users’ latent aspirations of the built environment, in Proceedings of 7 Experiences Summit 2023, Auckland, New Zealand, 28 Nov – 1 Dec 2023, pp38-40, doi:10.24135/7es.11
  • Kocsis, A., Tan, L., Roto, V. 2024. Experience-based design: Enhancing its rigour, in Proceedings of 7 Experiences Summit 2023, Auckland, New Zealand, 28 Nov – 1 Dec 2023, pp41-45, doi:10.24135/7es.12
  • Christensen, J., Tan, L. 2024. Redevelopment trends of Melbourne: Facadism and adaptive reuse, in Architecture, Media, Politics, Society (AMPS) Proceedings, Vol. 35.1, pp305-314
  • Tan, L. 2023. Using ChatGPT to extract design concepts from stories, 7th LearnxDesign Conference, London, UK, 29 Nov – 01 Dec 2023, doi:10.21606/drslxd.2023.054
  • Tan, L., Wright, E., Connory, J., Simone, T., De Kruiff, A. 2023. A discussion of student-centric reflexive practice factors, 7th LearnxDesign Conference, London, UK, 29 Nov – 01 Dec 2023, doi:10.21606/drslxd.2023.070
  • Kocsis, A., Kenderdine, S., Tan, L. 2023. From art introspection to selfie co creation, In Proceedings of the Art of Research Conference 2023 – Reimagining, Aalto, Finland, 30 Nov – 1 Dec 2023, pp34-35
  • Tan, L., Luke, T., di Pietro, A., Kocsis, A. 2023. Using machine learning as a material to generate and refine aircraft design prototypes, in Proceedings of EKSIG2023, Milano, Italy, 19 – 20 June 2023, pp796-813
  • Anam, N., Tan, L. 2023. Optimisation of design-to-fabrication framework for homeless housing design, in Proceedings of the Design Society,Vol. 3, pp2845-2854. doi:10.1017/pds.2023.285
  • Anam, N., Tan, L. 2023. A human-centric approach to a design-to-fabrication process, 28th CAADRIA Conference, India, 21 – 23 March 2023, Vol. 2, pp461-470, doi:10.52842/conf.caadria.2023.2.461
  • Rogers, D., Tan, L., Kocsis, A. 2023. Affordances of Visualised Future Environments, in Architecture, Media, Politics, Society (AMPS) Proceedings: Representing Pasts – Visioning Futures, 32, pp470-477
  • Tan, L. 2022. Providing authentic workplace team learning in architecture design studios, in Proceedings of the ‘A Focus on Pedagogy: Teaching, Learning and Research in the Modern Academy’, Vol. 28(2), pp107-119
  • Tan, L., Mattila, P., Iverson, A., Hopwood, J. 2022. Design-driven leadership training: Nurturing emerging leaders, in Proceedings of theAcademic Design Management Conference 2022, pp209-221
  • Mesa, D., Tan, L., Ranscombe, C. 2022. A case study exploring the role of design in maturing university-developed technology, Proceedings of the Design Society, 2, pp2343-2352, doi:10.1017/pds.2022.237
  • Thong, C., Tan, L., Kocsis, A., Mattila, P., Down, A., Mesa, D., Pye, A., Iverson, A., Lodewyckx, S., Boyle, T., Azzam-Mackay, C., Moore, M., Bigham, A., & Flourie, E. 2022. Activating innovation culture, in Proceedings of the dfgn.r conference 2022, pp48-49, https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/handle/123456789/119185
  • Lodewyckx, S., Tan, L., Mattila, P., Beasy, K., Iverson, A., Mesa, D. 2022. Methods and practices for co-creating a hydrogen-economy future, in Proceedings of the dfgn.r conference 2022, Designing the Future, pp100-101
  • Kocsis, A., Thong, C., Mattila, P., Down, A., Pye, A., Mesa, D., , L. 2022. Innovation catalysts: Learnings from ten years of Design Factory Melbourne’s interdisciplinary practices, in Proceedings of the dfgn.r conference 2022, Designing the Future, pp108-109, https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/handle/123456789/119185
  • Akama, Y., Anich, J., Avendano Franco, A., Choi, J. H., Fennessy, L., Foley, M., Heiss, L., Ivanka, T., Luke, E., Page, R., Rosenqvist, T., Sanin, J., Tan, L. 2022. Why are we here? A reflexive story of decolonising, in Proceedings of the Participatory Design Conference 2022,Vol. 1, pp26-35, doi:10.1145/3536169.3537777
  • Tan, L., Bessabava, R., Hebden, K., 2020. Making it work: Maker community and high school partnerships, in Proceedings of the Schools as Community Hubs Conference, pp154-63, doi:10.26188/13258109
  • Tan, L. 2020. The paradox of delivering professional design services: The plurality of value, in 2020: Tensions, Paradoxes, Plurality, pp355-68. Melbourne, Australia: Linköping University Electronic Press.
  • Tan, L. 2020. Service design for architecture design services, in 2020: Tensions, Paradoxes, Plurality, pp594-95. Melbourne, Australia: Linköping University Electronic Press.
  • Tan, L. 2020. Behaviours in design collaborations: Insights from a team learning perspective, in Proceedings of the Design Research Society 2020 Conference, Vol 3, pp1045-61, doi:10.21606/drs.2020.330
  • McGinley, T., Hoshi, K., Gruber, P., Haddy, S., Zavoleas, Y., Tan, L., Blaiklock, D. 2018. A Katana Design Experience, in Intersections in Simulation and Gaming, pp134-148. Springer, Cham doi:10.1007/978-3-319-78795-4_1
Book chapters (8)
  • Tan, L. 2025. Navigating Academia with a Design Mindset, in N. Lemon, S. McDonough, & M Selkrig (eds.) Creating Wellbeing: The Role of Making Practices in Academic Contexts (pp. 251-264). Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. http://doi.org/10.4324/9781003664123-20 
  • Tan, L. 2024. Designing my path through higher education, in K. Hammond & N. Lemon (eds.) Navigating Tensions and Transitions in Higher Education: Effective Skills for Maintaining Wellbeing and Self-care (pp. 141–156). Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. doi:10.4324/9781032701349-15
  • Tan, L. 2021. Our cities are shaped by pandemics, Non Architecture, Borbala Papp (ed.) pp54-57
  • Chen, C., Sadar, J., Tan, L. Mycelium Structure Prototype #3, Future Prototyping 2020, Exhibition catalogue: Biological + Infinite, pp28-29
  • Tan, L. 2020. Ritual of forgetting: (Almost) impossible in today’s digital age, Dying – Cemeteries, Borbala Papp (ed.) pp57-60
  • Tan, L. 2020. Micro-Experiences of Architecture, What is Small-Scale Architecture? Emerging Ideas in Architecture & Design, Chapter 2, pp108-109
  • Tan, L. 2019. Creativity is the process, but ambiguity is the outcome you are after, Thinking – Alternative designs for Offices, Charlotte Sylviane (ed.), pp25-26
  • de Nardi, B., Davis, M., Tan, L., Maginness, M., Raisbeck, P., Hogg, P., Kennedy, L. 2016. Pilbara: Country, colony, and urbanism, in ARCH+223 Planetary Urbanism, pp52-56
Grants & Fundings
Impact & Engagement
University & Research services
  • AI in Design Innovation Coordinator (2025 — current)
    School of Design and Architecture, Swinburne University of Technology
  • Interior Architecture Course Director (2026 start)
    School of Design and Architecture, Swinburne University of Technology
  • Committee member, Swinburne Non-Traditional Research Output (NTRO) Committee (2025 — current)
    Swinburne University of Technology
  • Committee member, Swinburne Human Ethics Committee (2024 — current)
    Swinburne University of Technology
  • Committee member, Swinburne Artificial Intelligence Advisory (2023 — current)
    Swinburne University of Technology
  • Committee member (Training and Education lead), Swinburne Ally Network (2022 — 2025)
    Swinburne University of Technology
  • Organising committee, State of Australasian Cities 2021 PhD Symposium (2020 — 2021)
    Australasian Early Career Urban Research Network
  • Higher Degree Researchers Representative, Faculty Research Committee (2020 — 2021)
    Faculty of Health, Arts and Design, Swinburne University of Technology
  • Program and Student Forum Co-Chair, Service Design Conference 2020 (2019 — 2021)
    RMIT University
  • Organising Committee, Building Bridges Conference (2018)
    Faculty of Health, Arts and Design, Swinburne University of Technology
Awards
Teaching experience
  • 2025 Semester 2 Swinburne University of Technology
  • 2025 Semester 1 Swinburne University of Technology
  • 2025 Semester 1 The University of Melbourne
  • 2024 Semester 2 Swinburne University of Technology
  • 2024 Semester 1 Swinburne University of Technology
    • Design-led Research, Convenor and Studio lead, Master of Design
    • Architectural Communications, Convenor and Studio lead, Bachelor of Design (Architecture)
    • Architectural Thesis, Supervisor, Master of Architecture
  • 2024 Semester 1 RMIT University
  • 2023 Semester 2 Swinburne University of Technology
    • Architectural Design Research Studio C, Convenor and Studio lead, Master of Architecture
    • Architectural Design Studio 1, Convenor and Studio lead, Bachelor of Design (Architecture)
    • Architectural Thesis, Supervisor, Master of Architecture
    • Design Thesis part 2, Supervisor, Master of Design
    • Architecture Entrepreneurship, Convenor, Bachelor of Design (Interior Architecture)
  • 2023 Semester 2 RMIT University
  • 2023 Semester 1 Swinburne University of Technology
    • Architectural Design Research Studio C, Convenor and Studio lead, Master of Architecture
    • Architectural Thesis, Supervisor, Master of Architecture
    • Architectural Communications, Convenor, Bachelor of Design (Architecture)
    • Design-led Research, , Convenor and Studio lead, Master of Design
    • Design Thesis part 1, Supervisor, Master of Design
    • Architecture Entrepreneurship, Convenor and tutor, Bachelor of Design (Interior Architecture)
  • 2022 Semester 2 Swinburne University of Technology
    • Architectural Design Research Studio C, Convenor and Studio lead, Master of Architecture
    • Design Thesis part 2, Supervisor, Master of Design
    • Architecture Entrepreneurship, Convenor and tutor, Bachelor of Design (Interior Architecture)
  • 2022 Semester 1 Swinburne University of Technology
    • Design Thesis part 1, Supervisor, Master of Design
    • Design-led research, Convenor and studio lead, Master of Design
    • Architecture Entrepreneurship, Convenor and tutor, Bachelor of Design (Interior Architecture)
    • Innovation Challenge Project, Convenor and tutor, Bachelor of Design
  • 2021 Semester 2 Swinburne University of Technology
    • Innovation Challenge Project, Convenor and tutor, Bachelor of Design
    • Professional Attributes for Design, Tutor, Bachelor of Interior Architecture
    • Digital Documentation 1, Tutor, Bachelor of Architecture and Interior Architecture
  • 2021 Semester 1 Swinburne University of Technology
    • CAD for Products and Interiors, Convenor and studio lead, Master of Design
  • 2021 Semester 1 University of Melbourne
    • Architecture Design Studio, Technical tutor, Master of Architecture
  • 2020 Semester 2 Swinburne University of Technology
    • Creative Entrepreneurship, Tutor, Master of Design
  • 2020 Semester 2 University of Melbourne
    • Architecture Design Studio, Technical tutor, Master of Architecture
  • 2020 Semester 1 Swinburne University of Technology
    • CAD for Products and Interiors, Convenor and studio lead, Master of Design
    • 3D Scanning and Printing, Convenor and studio lead, Master of Design
    • Professional Practice Management, Guest lecturer and tutor, Master of Architecture
  • 2020 Semester 1 University of Melbourne
    • Architecture Design Studio, Technical tutor, Master of Architecture
  • 2019 Semester 2 Swinburne University of Technology
    • Creative Entrepreneurship, Tutor, Master of Design
    • 3D Scanning and Printing, Convenor and studio lead, Master of Design
    • Professional Attributes for Design, Convenor, Bachelor of Interior Architecture
  • 2019 Semester 2 University of Melbourne
    • Architecture Design Studio, Technical tutor, Master of Architecture
  • 2019 Semester 1 Swinburne University of Technology
    • CAD for Products and Interiors, Convenor and studio lead, Master of Design
    • 3D Scanning and Printing, Convenor and studio lead, Master of Design
    • Digital Documentation 1, Tutor, Bachelor of Architecture and Interior Architecture
  • 2018 Semester 2 Swinburne University of Technology
    • Digital Documentation 1, Lecturer and tutor, Bachelor of Architecture and Interior Architecture
    • 3D Scanning and Printing, Convenor and studio lead, Master of Design
  • 2017 Semester 1 University of Melbourne
    • Architecture Design Studio, Studio lead, Master of Architecture
  • 2014 Semester 2 University of Melbourne
    • Design Workshop, Senior tutor and studio lead, Bachelor of Environments
    • Design Studio Earth, Studio lead, Bachelor of Environments
    • Visualising Environments, Studio lead, Bachelor of Environments
  • 2014 Semester 1 University of Melbourne
    • Digital Design & Fabrication, Studio lead, Bachelor of Environments
    • Visualising Environments, Studio lead, Bachelor of Environments
  • 2013 Semester 2 University of Melbourne
    • Architecture Design Studio, Studio lead, Master of Architecture
    • Design Workshop, Senior tutor and studio lead, Bachelor of Environments
    • Design Studio Earth, Studio lead, Bachelor of Environments
    • Visualising Environments, Studio lead, Bachelor of Environments
  • 2013 Semester 1 University of Melbourne
    • Visualising Environments, Studio lead, Bachelor of Environments
  • 2011 Semester 2 University of Melbourne
    • Visualising Environments, Studio lead, Bachelor of Environments
  • 2011 Semester 1 University of Melbourne
    • Visualising Environments, Studio lead, Bachelor of Environments
Associations and Memberships

Contact me

Feel free to contact me with any inquiries or collaboration opporutnities.