SiNae Song is a PhD researcher in the Robotics Laboratory at the Royal College of Art and Project Officer for the EPSRC-funded Circular Robot 5.0 (CR5.0) project. Her work explores how design,robotics, and circular systems can advance more human-centred, sustainable, and resilient futures. She also contributes to policy and systems research through her work with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
SiNae completed a BA in Industrial Design at Hongik University in Korea and received her Graduate Diploma and MA in Design Products from the Royal College of Art. Her doctoral work tackles a practical question with systemic stakes: how can critical raw materials in intelligent machines be recovered, reused, and kept in circulation?
She develops participatory methods that bring together people, autonomous systems, and supply-chain actors, aligning with Industry 5.0’s focus on human–technology collaboration, to turn end-of-life hardware into new capability rather than waste.
She has conducted collaborative research with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UNESCO, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), as well as with commercial partners including Toyota, Netflix, and Twitter. Her work has received international recognition through awards such as the iF Design Student Award, IDEA, D&AD, Seoul Design Award, and Green Product Award, along with national design awards from the Korean government. She is also a recipient of the Royal College of Art Vice-Chancellor’s Bursary Scholarship.
Alongside her doctoral research, SiNae works with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as a consultant in the Sustainable Energy Hub, where she combines design-led research with clear, strategic communication to advance the Sustainable Development Goals. She has contributed to over 15 UNDP publications, helping countries advance sustainable and inclusive development in collaboration with governments and policymakers across 170 countries and territories.
More information
Research interests
SiNae’s research interests include:
- Designing circular robotics
- Co-designing with workers, engineers, communities.
- Driving Industry 5.0 with lifecycle transparency and auditability.
Current and Recent Projects
SiNae’s current research investigates how participatory design approaches can inform new strategies for critical raw material (CRM) recovery in industrial robotics. The project explores how design can reframe disassembly as a participatory process, connecting users, manufacturers, and policymakers to enable circular and transparent material flows within Industry 5.0.
Her recent collaborative research includes AquaShellter, developed in collaboration with UNESCO’s Ocean Decade initiative, which addresses urban water pollution through co-design and biomaterial innovation using participatory XR experiences. Another research project, LetItBee, carried out in partnership with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, explores material- and technology-based design interventions with bees to address pollination shortfalls through human x non-human collaboration.
She has also contributed to more than fifteen publications with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), including Powering the Future: Risk Governance for a Sustainable, Resilient and Inclusive Energy System, Navigating the Currents of Green Hydrogen, and Advancing a Just Energy Transition in SIDS.