My name is Arjun Khara. I am an associate professor and researcher at the School of Design, University of Leeds. My research focus is on Fairness Design, a new field of enquiry that examines the design and construction of government documents, namely forms, and how government policies can influence design decisions and affect public perceptions of forms and documents. Fairness Design is the outcome of my PhD, which I completed at the Department of Typography and Graphic Communication, University of Reading. My research investigated the design characteristics of digital government forms issued in Singapore during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research concentrated on how public forms could be made fairer for both citizens government by integrating information design tools with principles of political philosophy. This ultimately led to the creation of Fairness Design as a new field of research, which I am currently pursuing at the University of Leeds.

Current Work

In addition to Fairness Design, I am part of an EPSRC-funded project, between the School of Computing and the School of Design, which is analysing the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in data visualisation. This feeds into my research on AI and ethics in design, as well as everyday aesthetics and care in brands and messaging. I also teach on undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, and supervise PhD candidates. In February 2023 I was appointed Deputy Head of School (Academic and Innovation) for the School of Design. Profile: Dr Arjun Khara, University of Leeds

Previous Study

I have an MA in Computer Games Art and Design (Valedictorian Orator Class of 2018) from Goldsmiths, University of London, which I commenced a year prior to starting my PhD at the University of Reading on digital government forms. My work thus operates at the confluence of visual design and digital environments. Before moving to the United Kingdom, in 2017, I spent much of my life in Singapore where I co-founded the Centre for Communication and Information Literacy (CCIL). The idea for CCIL, however, germinated during my years as an undergraduate student at the University of South Australia, Adelaide, where I completed my BA in Communication, Media, and Culture (Golden Key Int. Hon. Soc.). Profile: Dr Arjun Khara, University of Reading

Career

Shortly after graduating, in 2005, I moved back to Singapore to setup a company, in partnership. The company has grown through a series of projects and ventures — the culmination of which is the Centre for Communication and Information Literacy Pte. Ltd. I have since conducted courses on copywriting, content and media marketing, branded storytelling, information design, and frontend coding for governments, Fortune 100 and 500 companies, technology firms, judicial and legal organisations, banks and financial institutions, hospitals, universities, hotels, charities, and NGOs. My research in Fairness Design, AI and ethics, and everyday aesthetics of care continues to feed into talks and seminars with my clients and the wider public in the United Kingdom and in Southeast Asia. Profile: Dr Arjun Khara, CCIL Singapore