research that privileges the contribution of the
research to the transdisciplinary project. The
PhD topic will be grounded in a situated, specific
context and in this way is distinct from a practice-
led PhD or a doctoral topic focused on advancing
the discipline. The belief that learning can be an
intrinsic motivation for candidates, supervisors
and project partners underpins the collaborative
orientation. Collaborations extend beyond
peer-to-peer to include co-authoring between
candidates and supervisors, and working with
industry and community partners. The only-
offered-once pop-up PhD embraces a cohort
model based around a thematic. The shared
purpose and intellectual focus seeks to deepen
the knowledge and impact of the cohort’s
collective research. The pop-up nature allows
future PhD thematics to be responsive to critical
topics as they emerge. For the cohort starting in
2018 the theme is Design and Learning. Future
themes could be design and mobility, design and
social impact, or design and ethnography.

We came to the dude ranch believing this
sketch presented a foundation for exploring what

this PhD might look like in practice. Turns out

not so much. There was discord because we had

no shared definition of design. There was discon-
tent because in privileging design the voices of
the non-designers felt muted. Yet for the tension

between us there was little disrespect. From the

outset we had a shared understanding that all

voices are important, that homogeneity is not

the way forward. We went into the week believ-
ing that disagreement will be uncomfortable yet

necessary, challenging yet productive.

To begin the task of figuring out what the
PhD might become we privileged four modes
of generative design research. A series of
social belonging exercises included life-sized
physical mapping of our social networks, visual
handshakes to introduce ourselves and a walking
tour to share our intrinsic motivations. Between
prototyping sessions participants volunteered
playful interludes conceived as moments for
embodied learning that opened up spaces for
laughter and insight. The design-led orientation
to the week began and ended with ‘material
propositions.’ Carefully curated props helped

A. SUN
(THEME)

B. MOON
(COLLABORATION)

C. PLANET
(PROJECT)

propose learning machines and playful video
sketches stitched together the week’s verbal
and visual conversations. However not-doing
was also critical for a prototype of the program
to evolve. These moments of ‘embodied
wisdom’ significantly shaped the perspectives
of the community. Storytelling under the stars
emerged as a compelling way to wind down the
day - with supervisors candidly narrating their
PhD experiences. A silent performance called
on each individual to position his or her whole
self within the project. While contemplating the
sunrise in Joshua Tree National Park offered
the complementary yet humbling experience
of questioning your role on the planet at this
moment in time.

Post the dude ranch it is this notion of po-
sition, of location, that I keep returning to. In
investigating our commitment to a pop-up,
project-grounded and collaborative PhD we
began to see that each quality calls for a dif-
ferent orientation. The conviction of a pop-up
is wedded toa cohort drawn together around one
thematic —in this case Design and Learning. The

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