keynote speakers
Paul Hekkert
Dr. Paul Hekkert is currently Visiting Research Professor at the Department of Design, Politecnico Milano. For 20 years (2003-2024), Paul was full professor at the school of Industrial Design Engineering, Delft. Here he conducted research on the ways products impact human experience, values and behavior. He is author of Vision in Design: A guidebook for innovators (2011) and Designing for Society: Products and Services for a Better World (2019). Paul is captain of science of the Dutch Creative Industries sector and serves on the International Advisory Council of the Design Research Society.
Katja Tschimmel
Katja Tschimmel is a consultant, executive trainer, researcher, lecturer, and conference speaker, operating at the intersection of business (Mindshake) and academia (Porto University & Porto Business School). Holding a Ph.D. in Design and a Master’s in Applied Creativity, she brings over 20 years of expertise in Creativity, Design Thinking, Design Education, and Innovation. Katja is the (co-) author of several books and numerous articles on creativity, design, and innovation. In her consultancy work, she specialises in designing innovation frameworks and supporting their organisational implementation. Since 2023, she has served as the Portuguese Ambassador for the World Creativity and Innovation Week (wciw.org), championing creative approaches to building a better world.
Round Table Chairs
Emília Duarte
Product designer with a PhD in Human Kinetics and a specialisation in Ergonomics. She is a full professor at IADE – Universidade Europeia in Lisbon, Portugal, and the coordinator of UNIDCOM/IADE – Research Unit in Design and Communication. Throughout her career, she has coordinated the PhD in Design programme and the Master’s in Interaction Design at IADE. From 2014 to 2016, she served as Vice-Rector for Research at IADE-U. Her research interests focus on areas such as cognitive ergonomics, user experience, interaction design, emotional design, social design, design for behaviour change, and design for health and wellbeing.
Heitor Alvelos
Full Professor of Design at University of Porto, and Director of ID+ UPorto Hub. Currently Vice-President of the European Academy of Design, Member of Academia Europaea and European Science Foundation. Course Director, PhD in Design U.Porto, 2011-2024; Chairman, Scientific Board (HSS), Foundation for Science and Technology, 2016-2022, Outreach Director, UTAustin-Portugal, 2010-2014; Senior Tutor, Drawing Studio, Royal College of Art, 1999-2001. Coordinated a national and international research projects since 2007, including “Anti-Amnesia” (2019-2021), and “An Infodemic of Disorientation” (2022-24). Consultancy work for Ministry of Science (Portugal), Arts and Humanities Research Council (UK), and New European Bauhaus (EU Commission).
Rita Almendra
She is a Full Professor at the Lisbon School of Architecture (FA ULisbon), where she leads the Scientific Area of Design, the Project Design Department, and the Design Doctoral Program. With a PhD in Design, a Master’s in Design Management, and an MBA in Marketing from Universidade Católica Portuguesa, she graduated in Design in 1998. She has published extensively, including journal articles, books, and book chapters. She has supervised 48 PhD theses and 78 MSc dissertations and regularly participates in funded research projects. Her research interests span Design Education, Design Research, Social and Sustainable Design.
stay tuned for the upcoming announcements
©2024 – LXD2025 All Rights Reserved
This work was supported by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, I.P. by project reference UIDB/04057/2020 and DOI identifier <https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDB/04057/2020>.