Rob was awarded a Readership in Urban Graphic Heritage at Loughborough in 2022. He completed a PhD in Architecture at the University of Nottingham’s School of Architecture and Built Environment in 2011.
Since joining the University as a Lecturer in Graphic Design in 2008, he has held several school roles, notably as Academic Director (2011–14) and Director of Staff Development (2022–25).
Before coming to Loughborough, he was a Principal Lecturer and Senior Lecturer in Graphic Design at Nottingham Trent University (2003–08) and the University of Derby (2001-03).
Between 1986 to 2000 he worked as a graphic designer and design consultant in London, in private practice as Harland Design (1991–2000), following stints as a designer at Tatham Pearce (1988-91) and Design in Action (1986-88). Rob earned a first-class degree in Information Graphics from Trent Polytechnic, Nottingham in 1986.
Rob’s current research explores urban heritage through the lens of graphic design, specifically framed as urban graphic heritage. He has led several funded projects in this emerging field, collaborating with partners such as the Nelson Mandela Foundation, UNESCO-UK, and various UNESCO Creative Cities.
In 2017, he established the Graphic Design Research Unit at Loughborough with a focus on exploring how graphic objects facilitate the function of cities and urban places. The unit has fostered international research collaborations across Australia, Brazil, China, Hong Kong, and South Africa. Soon after, he led the University’s initiative to establish Urbanism as a cross-campus research theme.
His research has earned recognition, including the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for International Partnerships (2024), and the SIDA Foundation and David Roche Foundation Fellowship (2023) in Australia.
In 2024, he was invited to join Loughborough’s Storytelling Academy, renowned for its international reputation for excellence.
His areas of expertise span urban heritage, heritage interpretation, graphic heritage, graphic design, urban design, visual research, photo-documentation, and place identity.
Rob teaches across the full spectrum of education and student experience at Loughborough, working with research, postgraduate, and undergraduate students.
He has received several teaching awards and has supported his pedagogical approach through published articles and papers on assessment in art and design.
Rob has extensive experience of working with industry and not-for-profit organisations, collaborating with the Nelson Mandela Foundation, the United Kingdom National Commission for UNESCO (UKNC), several UNESCO Creative Cities, and the David Roche Foundation.
His ongoing collaboration with Nelson Mandela Centre for Memory, in conjunction with Dr Yolandi Burger, explores the question ‘What might we expect to learn about a person when visiting a place named after them?’ The Named after Nelson impact project continues to be documented and developed as part of a wider research initiative exploring Madiba’s graphic heritage.
He co-leads a team of researchers at Loughborough who have established the TOWN Observatory (2025), following his experience as a voluntary co-founder of the Leicester Urban Observatory (2015).
In 2024 he was appointed the Loughborough University lead for the Civic Universities Partnership – Arts, Culture and Heritage theme.
He was invited by UKNC to co-organise and chair the Inclusive and Sustainable Cities session at the Heritage and Our Sustainable Future: Research, Practice, Policy, and Impact UNESCO conference in 2021.
PhD Supervision
Rob has successfully supervised eleven PhD candidates to completion and has examined a similar number at various institutions, including: Aalto University; Anglia Ruskin University; Bournemouth University; Birmingham City University; University of Leeds; University of Limerick; University of Reading (twice); Manchester Metropolitan University; The University of Nottingham (twice); Plymouth University.
Current Supervisions
Guo Chen (since 2025)
Mapping memory and future: collaborative Story Map for everyday heritage and community wellbeing, Supervisors: Dr Robert Harland and Prof Mike Wilson
Pegah Aftabi (since 2024)
Reframing Digital Urban Observatories for Community-led Preservation of Urban Heritage: Developing a Visualisation Strategy for Sociocultural Dynamics in Urban Neighbourhoods
Supervisors: Dr Robert Harland and Dr Taimaz Larimian
Haneen Jamal (since 2021)
The Role of Co-design in Promoting Social Design Principles within Graphic Design Education
Supervisors: Dr Robert Harland and Dr Alis Iacob
Semih Celikci (since 2019)
The Poster Archive: A tool for social change
Supervisors: Dr Robert Harland and Karl Hurn
Past Supervisions
Hang Pan (2024)
Graphic Landscaping constructs the Multicultural and Multilingual Experience of Place, co-supervised Supervisors: Dr Robert Harland and Dr Ken Ri Kim
Zelal Basodan (2024)
Recuperating the Nasrid Palace and the Alhambra Vases in Emerging Islamic Studio Ceramics
Supervisors: Dr Roberta Bernabei and Dr Robert Harland
Yeuyang Sun (2023)
Exploring Technological Application for Artistic Practices in Filigree Jewellery Design Development
Supervisors: Dr Roberta Bernabei and Dr Robert Harland
Mel Hani (2021)
Animation Practice as Therapeutic Intervention
Supervisors: Prof Paul Wells and Dr Robert Harland
Jie Xu (2020)
Colour as place identity: A case study of Leicester
Supervisors: Dr Robert Harland and Dr Roberta Bernabei
Salman Asghar (2020)
Cross-cultural assistive technology product semantics: A comparative investigation between the UK and Pakistan into the socio-cultural meanings ascribed to digital images of manual wheelchair design
Supervisors: Dr George Torrens and Dr Robert Harland
Roberta Bernabei (2019)
Jewellery theory and practice: An investigation into emotionally invested and mnemonic jewellery through sensitising materials
Supervisors: Dr Robert Harland and Prof Ian Campbell
Mark Smith (2019)
Artists’ moving image and education: A creative practice approach to education research
Supervisors: Dr Robert Harland and Andy Selby
Steve Henderson (2017)
Can we fix it? Archiving and analysing ‘Bob the Builder’ – a resource paradigm and research method
Supervisors: Prof Paul Wells, Dr Robert Harland, and Prof Adrienne Muir
Lingqi Kong (2016)
A critical analysis of local and global cultural factors in graphic wayfinding design: A case study of Beijing
Supervisors: Dr Malcolm Barnard and Dr Robert Harland
Tariq Alrimawi (2014)
Issues of representation in Arab animation cinema: Practice, history, and theory
Supervisors: Prof Paul Wells and Dr Robert Harland