DrRebecca Jane McConnell

Dr Rebecca Jane McConnell is an architect, researcher, and educator whose work explores how design and representation can contribute to new methodologies for addressing super wicked problems, particularly climate change. Rebecca is a Research Scientist on the ACME (Architecture of Coal in Modern Europe) project at University College Dublin.

Her research focuses on the cultural and spatial legacies of post-war coal modernisation in Europe, analysing how architectural drawings, exhibitions, publications, and film were used to visualise complex industrial systems. Through this lens, she investigates how past modes of communication might inform a contemporary 'blueprint' for thinking critically and creatively about planetary-scale challenges. Her academic practice includes design-based research, critical pedagogy, and public engagement. Her outward-facing creative practice is developed through The Future Blueprint, a platform for visual research, public scholarship, and climate-oriented spatial thinking.