Clare Devaney
Clare Devaney
- Senior Researcher (Innovation), Innovation Lead, GSA Rural Lab
- ORCID
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1319-4636- Professional Title
- Reader in Strategic and Systems Innovation
- Job Title
- Senior Researcher (Innovation), Innovation Lead, GSA Rural Lab
- School or Academic Area
- Interdisciplinary Research
- School or Academic Area Supervised for
- Interdisciplinary Research
- C.Devaney@gsa.ac.uk
- Professional Address
- GSA Highlands & Islands Campus Altyre Estate Forres IV36 2SH
Biography
Dr Clare Devaney is a Reader in Strategic and Systems Innovation, and Senior Researcher and Innovation Lead for GSA Rural Lab.
Clare's work has been published and disseminated internationally, including through book publication (Panonomics, Springer, 2021), as an award-winning entry to The Global Indigo Prize for Economics (LetterOne/The World Bank/Goldman Sachs & JP Morgan, 2017), and through the TED platform (2017 and 2018).
She is a member of the UKRI AHRC Peer Review College and its moderation panels.
Clare's career includes senior leadership roles, working with the UK Government as Strategic Lead for Place and Culture in the North of England (2021/22) and as Head of Innovation for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (2013-6).
Clare holds a PhD in Built Environment ('A Fourth Way: The role of cultural heritage in embedding place-driven innovation', University of Salford, 2021) and an MA/BA in English Literature (St Catharine's College, University of Cambridge, 2002/1998)
Research Interests
Clare's research focusses on the design from concept of novel strategic, measurement and evaluation systems, models and frameworks.
Grants
Programme Lead (PI) - "A Golden Thread: Crafting the Creative Economy from Scotland's Highlands, Lowlands and Islands"
UKRI AHRC Doctoral Focal Awards (2026-33)
A Craft-led and interdisciplinary PhD training college and enterprise development programme, driven from and distributed across Scotland's rural and island communities. Led by GSA and delivered in partnership with Open University & SRUC.
PGR Supervision Interests
Novel and emerging systems and organisational models
Regenerative practice and futures
Craft, making and materialism
Place-driven and community-led approaches
Current PGR Students
MRes - Kiara Mackenzie
'Investigating the Lineage Connecting Prehistoric Survival Skills to Modern Textile Craft'
(Primary Supervisor)
Former PGR Students
PhD - Jiaojiao Li - SAFA Exchange student
'Visualisation of Knowledge in Traditional Handicrafts'
(Co-Supervisor)
Latest Additions
- Devaney, Clare and Cochrane, Ruth (2025) Nexa.
- Cochrane, Ruth and Devaney, Clare (2025) Erodium.
- Stoney, Charlotte and Devaney, Clare (2024) Crafting Innovation: Designing the Pattern.
- Stoney, Charlotte and Devaney, Clare (2024) Crafting Innovation Workshop: Findings Report. Project Report. ..
- McAra-McWilliam, Irene, Devaney, Clare and Stoney, Charlotte (2024) Craft Scaler: The Fabric of the Future. Project Report. ..
