Joyce is Professor of Design and Social Innovation at Northumbria School of Design, UK. She is passionate about designing for social good and advocates for culturally diverse and locally relevant practices that challenge the dominant industrialized and western-centric models of design.

She co-founded the Designing Entangled Social Innovation in Asia-Pacific network (www.desiap.org) in 2015 with Dr Yoko Akama, RMIT in Australia, as a peer learning network for social innovation practitioners using design. Her ongoing work through the network ranges from seeking to understand cultural practices of designing, to repositioning the role of impact evaluation in designing social innovation (DSI) practices, to exploring how relationships are enabled and supported in DSI initiatives. 

Her work is framed through a critical praxis lens that seek to contribute to the decentring of dominant Design narratives, through the recognition of different practices, knowledges and wisdoms. Recent collaborative research includes an investigation into the societal impact of creative districts in Thailand and an application of a reflective learning approach to social impact measurement. Her current research focuses on addressing intersectional barriers for women through a mentorship programme supporting women in social innovation and creative economy sectors in the Asia-Pacific region.