Director of Academic Enterprise & Commercialisation, Associate Professor
- peipei.yu@uca.ac.uk
- Farnham
- Media enquiries
Dr Peipei Yu is the Director of Academic Enterprise and Commercialisation at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA). She provides executive leadership for the University’s enterprise and commercial strategy, driving innovation, income diversification, and global engagement through short courses, summer schools, online and hybrid learning, and knowledge exchange and engagement with industry.
Bio
Previously, Peipei oversaw UCA’s pre-degree portfolio, including foundation, pre-masters, and English programmes, shaping curriculum and supporting student progression. She has led large academic teams across multiple campuses, delivering growth, stability, and high-quality student experiences. With over 12 years of experience working with international partners and students, she has developed deep expertise in global collaboration, transnational education, and supporting diverse student journeys.
Alongside her directorship, Peipei is a designer, artist, and researcher. She graduated with a BA in Industrial Design and an MA in Product Design from BIAD (Birmingham Institute of Art and Design), and holds a PGCert in Creative Education. She completed her PhD at BIAD, focusing on design culture identity and the transformation of design education in contemporary China. She has published and exhibited internationally and is active in supervising research degrees within her specialist areas.
Research statement
Peipei’s practice is closely intertwined with her research, often using new and emerging media to interrogate questions of design, culture, and identity. Her work examines how cultural identity is shaped and redefined through art and design, with a particular focus on design thinking, creative subjects within Chinese cultural studies, and the transformation of design education in China. She re-explores these shifts through sociological, historical, anthropological, and artistic perspectives, connecting creative practice with broader cultural and educational change.
Research supervision
Peipei is interested in hearing from research degree applicants whose proposals lie in any of her areas of research interest, or from practice-research students whose research intersects with her expertise.
- Design Thinking
- Cultural influence and identity in Design
- Transformation of Design Education in China
- Creative Subjects and Cultural Studies in China
Research degree students (completed):
Yangzi Wang,Co-weave performance art: a new understanding of the Chinese silk weaving activity （UCA, Jan 2025）
Research degree students (current):
Yuanlu Zhang, Interweaving Identity: An exploratory investigation of the relationship between the fibre art and female social position in China from 2010 to present
Professional Membership, Affiliation and Consultancy
- Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)
- External examiner at Richmond international university 2022
- July 2025 – University for the Creative Arts, Internal Knowledge Exchange Funding for the project: Art Community X Urban Regeneration: How Creativity Empowers Local Development – FUNDED (£7,800)
- June 2022 – University for the Creative Arts, Internal Research Funding for the project ‘A Land Apart’ – FUNDED (£3,980). Exhibited in Yunnan Provincial Museum part of the 12th “From Lausanne to Beijing” International Fiber Art Biennale.
- December 2019 – University for the Creative Arts, Internal Research Funding for the project ‘Fragile Lines’ – FUNDED (£5,000). Exhibited in Today Art Museum, Beijing part of the The Fourth Today’s Documents: “A Stitch in Time” exhibition.
Media Enquiries
For media enquiries, please contact our Press Office Team: pressoffice@uca.ac.uk.