Associate Professor of Industrial Design at the Politecnico di Milano, she teaches Product Design and History of Design. Faculty member of the PhD in Design, she supervises research about Material Design, Design for Sustainability, Design Methodologies and AI-driven design practices. With over 30 years of international teaching experience across Europe, Middle East, and Asia, she has contributed to leading design institutions worldwide.

Her research focuses on the relationship between design and materials as drivers of innovation, exploring bio-based, circular, and smart materials within the ecological and digital transition. She is the founder of MADEC – Material Design Culture Research Group and a pioneer in the development of material design methodologies, including the concept of techno-productive design paradigms and design-driven material innovation.

Ferrara has led and participated in major national and EU-funded research projects and currently serves as Scientific Director for capacity-building programs at the Royal College of Traditional Arts in Saudi Arabia. She is Editor-in-Chief of scientific journal PAD – Pages on Arts & Design, and an active member of international research evaluation panels.

Her work has been internationally recognized, including the Top Innovation Award by the China Industrial Design Association (2019). She is the author of several influential books on materials and design, published by Springer and other leading publishers.

BIG SEE Perspectives Nominations

2026: Davide Balda