“Doing science for society leads to the question: what kind of society do we envision and want to support through science? We have to take an ethical stance. By jointly changing practices we can navigate transforming societies towards sustainable, liveable futures"

Caroline Hummels is professor Design and Theory for Transformative Qualities at the department of Industrial Design at the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). Her activities concentrate on designing and researching transforming practices. With her team and external stakeholders, including the Provence of North-Brabant, Philips Design, RISE, Rijkswaterstaat, Enpuls and ZET, she leverages emerging technologies through which they jointly change practices to navigate transforming societies towards sustainable futures. Doing so, she focuses on being-in-the-world theories, embodied and aesthetics interactions, imagination, data-enabled design and participatory sensemaking. She researches and questiones transforming practices and societies through theoretical lenses, including design-philosophy correspondence, in which philosophy informs design practice and design practice is used to philosophise, in order to tackle imminent societal challenges.

Caroline is founder and member of the steering committee of the Tangible Embedded, and Embodied Interaction (TEI) Conference, editorial board member of the International Journal of Design, member of the Dutch Design Week sounding board, and ambassador of CLIKCNL for the Key Enabling Methodologies related to ‘Participation and co-creation’. Moreover, she has given a large number of keynote speeches, invited lectures and workshops at conferences, international universities and for industry and governmental institutes worldwide.

Caroline Hummels holds cum laude MSc and PhD degrees in Industrial Design from Delft University of Technology (TU Delft). After obtaining her PhD in 1993, she took a position as Assistant Professor in the Form Theory group at TU Delft. In 2006, she moved to Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) to take the position of Associate Professor in the Designing Quality in Interaction (DQI) group and later in 2011 of Full Professor, while heading the DQI group. She is currently vice-chair of the Systemic Change group. At TU/e, she also served as Director of Education of the Industrial Design department and of Theme Leader of Participatory Health and Well-being. From 2004-2016 she was founder and owner of ID-dock, a small design research consultancy firm.