George Verghese is currently the Head of Skills Teams, Creative and Design Ideation for Western Sydney Region at TAFE NSW. He has over 36 years of combined international education and experience in the following roles: Dean of Design, Associate Head of Design School, Head of School, Campus Director, Course Director of Interior Design, Course Director of Post-Grad Design, and Executive Director of the Institute of Material Innovation. His administrative skills coupled with his passion for research and teaching to all sit on the same continuum with each supporting each other. Verghese has knowledge of the diversity of educational institutions from universities, to private providers, and now in the largest government-run regional training organization in Australia. He has been described as a transformational leader in higher education that is focused on innovative design accomplished through creative risk-taking and through empowering internal and external communities in thoughtful collaboration. 

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Verghese has taught at various global design centres, across disciplines—particularly with interior design—at both undergraduate and post-graduate levels. The areas of teaching were with advanced materials, design methods, design studio, design theory, and design history. He is a passionate educator and registered professional designer that believes that research and teaching are closely linked and encourages those he works with to cross discipline boundaries. 

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He has published widely on new materials in design, trans-disciplinary design practice and design management. George Verghese's current doctorate research examines designers’ lived experience of unknown materials. This phenomenological research will address an explicit design process of material engagement.