Colin Priest is a Senior Lecturer on MA Interior and Spatial Design (2020-present) at Camberwell College of Arts and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. He teaches across undergraduate and postgraduate Interior and Spatial Design at Camberwell College of Arts and was formerly Course Leader for BA Interior and Spatial Design at Chelsea College of Arts (2012-2020). 

Previously he was a Senior Lecturer at Oxford Brookes University and has lectured at Oxford Brookes University, Brighton University, Architectural Association, UCL Bartlett, University of Westminster, University of Plymouth, University for the Creative Arts, Canterbury, Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design, Bunkyo Gakuin University, The Cass, London Metropolitan University, Feng Chia University, IED Kunsthal Bilbao and Queens University Belfast. 

He has worked as an External Examiner on BA Interior Architecture at University of Hertfordshire and MA Interior Architecture and Design, Birmingham City University. 

With a background in architecture, his pedagogical research explores improvisational teaching methodologies and inclusive practices, engaging students through live project building initiatives that integrate real-world applications with employability and career development alongside international exchange and in-curriculum enterprise initiatives. Co-founder of Live Projects Network (established 2011), this approach fosters collaborative learning environments where theoretical knowledge and practical skills converge through site-specific engagement and community-centered live projects.