Design Principles & Practices Research Network

Gigi Polo is a Dominican designer, filmmaker, researcher, and educator; her interdisciplinarypractice brings together art and design, pedagogy, and research. As a creative practitioner andactivist, Gigi’s investment in mental health and social justice activism led her to produce MadlyGifted—a documentary that explores the relationship between bipolar disorder and artistictemperament (2003, madlygifted.com). Her passion for teaching lies at the intersection ofstudent-centered instruction and brain-based learning, with a focus on the neuroscience behindholistic learning within art and design settings. Informed by this passion, in 2017, Gigi completedher book Second Language through Design[ing], which provides a DEI framework—andteaching strategies—through a language-justice lens to cater to BIPOC communities inmainstream classrooms. In 2019, Gigi started pilot-testing Sprint-to-Pacing, her evidence-basedresearch on intensive learning formats, which has now coalesced into her investigation onneurodivergence; by blending a compressed curriculum, space design, and new technologies,Gigi aims to create sustainable and inclusive spaces where neurodivergents and neurotypicalsdevelop an equitable, mutualistic symbiotic relationship.

Designer and researcher. Currently Assistant Professor at IE School of Architecture and Design. PhD in Fine Arts, specialized in Contemporary Drawing (Universidade de Lisboa, 2024), Master in Technology Intelligence and Digital Design (Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo, 2016). Extensive experience in interdisciplinary design disciplines in academic and professional environments. Her research interests lie at the intersection of design, art and technology in the context of post-digitalization and acceleration. She explores these topics through phenomenology, affective atmospheres, relational, slow and situated design/art practices in educational, urban and natural environments.

Hualan Gou is a PhD student in Design at the University of Lisbon and a member of CIAUD. She holds a Master's degree in Product and Service Design from the University of Rome. Her focus is on sustainable product design, with an emphasis on sustainable consumption and production. Her research interests also include user experience (UX), user research, and a particular interest in sustainable products made from recycled materials.

Dr. Rick leBrasseur is an Assistant Professor in Landscape Architecture at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada. He teaches design studios to 1st year and 4th year students focusing on the experiential qualities of green spaces and how they impact socio-emotional wellbeing. Prior to entering academia, Rick contributed over 20 years in professional practice as a landscape urbanist in the United States with Charles Anderson Atelier, Hargreaves Associates, and EDAW/AECOM collaborating on internationally award winning socio-ecological projects. His research promotes evidence-based design to contextualise strategies which bring together individuals, communities, and the spatial landscape.

Isaiah DeMarco is an award-winning scholar from the United States. He holds four degrees, including a Master of Arts in Communication from San Jose State University in California, and a Master of Science in Marketing from Trinity College Dublin in Ireland. Isaiah is currently working on his PhD in Strategic Leadership at Marywood University. His areas of interest are in digital marketing, organizational design, and interpersonal communication. Isaiah has visited 40 US state sand 8 countries, and his personal hobbies include traveling, hockey, and do-it-yourself projects.

Dr Eujeen Hwang a lecturer in Industrial Design at Auckland University of Technology. Her research focuses on reflective pedagogy, learner agency, and inclusive design education. With a background in both design practice and qualitative research, she is particularly interested in how education can serve as a catalyst for challenging bias and shaping more equitable futures. Her doctoral work examined age-related bias in digital design education, and she continues to explore how structured pedagogical strategies can support students in becoming socially responsive and critically engaged designers.

Golnoush Behmanesh is a designer, researcher, and educator specializing in visual and interactive design, product design, animation, and virtual production. Her work explores the intersection of art, design, and technology to spark positive change, with a current focus on eye-tracking, AI, and cross-cultural interpretation in design. She holds a BA and MA in Fine Art, followed by a fully funded MFA in Graphic Design from Georgia State University. Behmanesh is currently an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at the University of Mississippi. She has presented at AIGA DEC, CAA, SECAC, and UCDA,and her work has been exhibited internationally. She also founded Behmanesh Design, an initiative supporting single mothers in Iran through sustainable design.

Abhishek Srivastava is a PhD student and Prime Minister’s Research Fellow (PMRF) at the Department of Design, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee, India. He is an architect and industrial designer, graduated from the School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi. He has received multiple awards, including the 20 under 35 DesignXDesign award in 2017. With over 8 years of experience, he has worked as a design professional at Infosys, Think Design, and Welava Design, aswell as an educator at SPA Delhi, World University of Design, and UPID Noida. His research interests include design education, Indian knowledge systems, and creativity.

Marina Ricci is a Postdoctoral Researcher at STIIMA-CNR in Bari (Italy), where she actively collaborates with the Design Group of Polytechnic University. In 2024, she earned a Ph.D. in Industry 4.0 with a dissertation on next-generation retail experiences using VR and pseudo-haptics. As a Visiting Ph.D. Student, she conducted research at the Perceptual Intelligent Lab at TU Delft(Netherlands)from 2022 to 2023, exploring novel approaches to integrating perceptual cues into online retail experiences via pseudo-haptics. In 2025, she was awarded the CNR Short-Term Mobility grant to carry out research at the University College London Interaction Centre (UK) to investigate visual metaphors in VR to communicate sound and touch cues. Marina's primary research interests are in Interaction Design, particularly exploring the potential for extending physical user experiences from both perceptual and interactive perspectives.