Neal is a communication designer, design educator and a practice-led researcher into and through communication design. He has a background in design studios across a wide range of media. He commenced his Masters by Research with RMIT in 2004 and following this his PhD, completed in 2010. He has been full-time with RMIT since 2011. From 2014-2018 Neal was Program Manager of the Bachelor program, from 2018-2022 he was Associate Dean, Communication Design. Neal’s research lies in the intersection of design practice and the community and the intersubjective action with which design reveals and actualises possible futures. His projects include Homefullness; an international interdisciplinary project tackling the intractable problems of housing stress and homelessness and Flowers of War; an international collaborative commemorative artwork involving public participation. He is part of the Commoners Press experimental letterpress coop. Neal is a founding member of CDEN (Communication Design Educators Network).