DrCeline Mougenot

Dr Céline Mougenot is a Reader (Associate Professor) in Human-centred Design and Innovation at the Dyson School of Design Engineering, Imperial College London, where she leads the Collective Innovation Lab. 

Her research focuses on how co-design and participatory methods can improve innovation in health and technology, with a particular emphasis on women’s health and responsible AI. She works across design, health, and technology to ensure that innovation is grounded in people’s real experiences and leads to meaningful system-level impact.

She develops co-design approaches that bring lived experience into the centre of innovation processes. Rather than treating users only as informants, her work positions them as holders of essential knowledge that can shape how problems are defined and how solutions are designed and evaluated. A key contribution of her research is the idea that co-design is not only a method for engagement, but also a way of producing knowledge. In this view, lived experience is treated as a form of expertise that can change how innovation problems are understood and addressed.

Her recent work introduces creative sensitisation methods, using arts-based and reflective activities to help people share more authentic and meaningful accounts of sensitive experiences. This is particularly important in areas such as health, where people may find it difficult to express or reflect on personal experiences in conventional research settings.

A major focus of her work is women’s health innovation and FemTech. Many health technologies do not fully reflect women’s lived experiences, particularly in relation to menstrual, reproductive, and gynaecological health. Her research develops participatory and inclusive design approaches to help close this gap, ensuring that health solutions are better aligned with real-world needs and contexts.

She collaborates with healthcare organisations, policymakers, and industry partners to support the development of more effective, inclusive, and trustworthy health innovations. Her research aligns with national priorities in women’s health, including the UK Women’s Health Strategy, and supports better integration of lived experience into healthcare innovation and evaluation.

Other leadership roles

• Head of Programme, MSc Design Engineering, Imperial College London
• Co-lead, Women's Health Network of Excellence, Imperial College London
• Co-Editor, International Journal of Design Creativity and Innovation
• Expert Reviewer, SBRI Healthcare & Accelerated Access Collaborative, NHS England
• International Advisor, InfoSyEnergy Consortium, Science Tokyo / MEXT Japan
• External Examiner, Queen's University Belfast & PhD programmes (UK, Europe, Worldwide)

International Collaborations Science Tokyo · Institut Polytechnique Paris · Telecom Paris Tech