Maria dos Santos Lonsdale is a Professor of Information and Communication Design at the University of Leeds, UK. She has experience of teaching design theory and practice, and research methods for design in higher education, both in Portugal and in the UK. She has also worked as a design practitioner since 1996, having established her own design studio (in partnership) at the time. Her main areas of research are: Information Design, Communication Design and Typographic Design. Her research is notable in the field of Design for its interdisciplinary nature, with collaboration across sectors such as Healthcare, National and Global Security, and Education. Her research is also notable in the field of Design for its research-based and human/user-centred approach, using a wide range of innovative research methods. At its core, her research focuses on the effective use of design to improve user performance and wellbeing. She is a member of the International Society of Typographic Designers, and an Academic Advisor and Information and Communication Design Lead for various organisations, public services and companies in the healthcare sector. She is the Editor-in-Chief for the Information Design Journal and was previously Associate Editor of Visible Language.