We are very sad to announce the death of Rachel Cooper, the President of the DRS. Rachel passed away last week after being diagnosed with cancer at the beginning of the year. Her passing has been a shock to everyone who knew her as an inspirational and courageous leader for the Society, the design research discipline, and the field of design.
Peter Lloyd, Chair of the DRS, said: “I have worked closely with Rachel for the past 10 years and her death will be a terrible loss. Rachel was utterly unique and irreplaceable. Her strategic thinking, her strong, committed leadership and her incredible work ethic helped to shape so much of what we call design research today. But more than that she was refreshingly straightforward and selfless with her time in mentoring and promoting a whole generation of design researchers. I, and many others, will miss her very, very much.”
In the coming weeks we will publish memories of Rachel on a remembrance page to celebrate her enormous contributions.