PI&V
Professional Identity
Who am I?
I define myself as a design engineer whose practice is driven by analytical rigour, creative curiosity, and a collaborative way of working. Growing up in a close-knit community and interacting with people from different cultures shaped who I am as a person, whereas my professional identity is being formed through an ongoing negotiation between the untapped potential of materials and their environmental impact. Starting with scientific disciplines such as mathematics, physics, and computer science, and leading to the exploratory nature of material-driven design, allowing me to operate fluently between conceptual reasoning and hands-on implementation [1].
My grounding in scientific knowledge established a way of thinking where cause-and-effect relationships, interdependencies, and constraints form the basis for decision-making, shaping how I work across disciplines and within teams. I bring clarity to ambiguous problems, articulate underlying interdisciplinary assumptions, and translate abstract ideas into actionable frameworks [2]. This analytical foundation continues to guide my professional development, particularly where technical feasibility, scalability, and sustainability intersect, such as the toolkit I made in M1.2 and the final fabrication workflow for the FMP, which was approved by 3devo [3]. The consequent next step is to explore material literacy and transfer my skills there.
Yet my trajectory was never purely technical. My transition from Creative Technology to Industrial Design clarified this identity. While software expanded my analytical skill set, I recognised its limitations in the context of the physical-digital and sustainable design work I wanted to pursue. Industrial Design provided the environment where creativity guides computation, fabrication, materiality, and sustainability to merge as a unified practice rather than isolated competencies. This is evident by the areas of expertise I focused on, T&R, C&A and U&S, with the first two representing the way I work and the third is an instilled attitude I believe every designer should adopt.
At this point, material exploration became pivotal to the growth of my design identity as it combines analytical reasoning with sensory engagement, revealing insights that emerge through physical interaction. Materials, for me, encapsulate design in the same way physics encapsulates reality: they are the foundational “facts” of the world, while also serving as a starting point for imagination. They represent both opportunity and limitation, demanding curiosity, repetition, and an understanding of behaviour across varying conditions [4].
Digital fabrication has thereby become the strategic medium through which I synthesise technical knowledge, material expertise, and exploratory drive. My work with recycled TPU exemplifies this approach in action, combining complexity and sustainability within a single material context. Taking initiative over the filament maker at InnoSpace and the MA Lab, collaborating directly with the manufacturer, and developing protocols for producing functional TPU filament allowed me to integrate mathematical reasoning, computational modelling, and material processing into one coherent practice. This experience extended my impact beyond individual projects, strengthening shared capabilities and collaborative potential.
How do I work?
Collaboration is a central part of my professional approach. In practice, this means I not only contribute directly to projects but also strategically bring together complementary skills and perspectives to maximise outcomes [5]. My curiosity and interdisciplinary mindset allow me to engage with knowledge across fields, combining technical know-how with creative experimentation. This is particularly evident in material-driven design, where I indulge in hands-on exploration, especially with flexible materials like TPU, to test possibilities, iterate solutions, and bridge the gap between concept and execution [1]. I approach leadership in a similar way, by fostering an environment where collaborators feel empowered to experiment, take ownership, and contribute to a shared vision [6].
At the same time, I am actively developing a more structured approach to planning and scheduling, balancing multiple tasks while improving focus and prioritisation. Making swift decisions under uncertainty is another challenge, and my deep engagement in hands-on making can occasionally slow alignment with broader project objectives. I view these not as limitations, but as areas for strategic growth, and I actively seek methods to balance exploration with focus, and immersion with oversight, so that creativity and efficiency embrace rather than compete with each other.
Vision
My vision as a designer began with a fascination for understanding how things work, how materials, processes, and systems interact to create. I still remember my first encounter with TPU filament at InnoSpace during my first year at the TU/e. I became fascinated by how its flexibility and recyclability could be harnessed not just for creative expression, but for practical, sustainable solutions. Experimenting with it sparked a realisation, that sustainability in design is not just about reducing waste, but about exploring the creative potential of materials in ways that are accessible, adaptable, and impactful. An impactful example is upcycling clothes and fabrics to create new fashion products [7]. Sustainability, for me, is not an abstract principle, but it is embedded in the choices we make as designers, from materials and processes to the systems we build around them. Sustainability Interaction Design encompasses this mindset, proving that sustainability can be in the forefront of interaction design [8].
I believe industrial designers occupy a unique position in shaping sustainable futures. Every design decision, from material choice to process, can have a ripple effect on society and the environment. I see my work as part of a broader dialogue in sustainable HCI, circular design, and responsible manufacturing by exploring ways to minimise waste, extend product lifecycles, and make design interventions imaginative and meaningful, while challenging traditional assumptions about what can be reused or repurposed. This is evident through my instructional comic approach where creativity crosses paths with provocative storytelling to illustrate an ethical issue through satire and expertise [9].
My focus on digital fabrication allows me to experiment with both conventional and unconventional recycling methods, creating designs that are not only environmentally conscious but also interactive and educational [10]. I aim to make sustainability tangible for industrial designers during their design and fabrication processes, enabling them to engage physically with responsible practices rather than treating them as abstract concepts. The workflow, alongside the instructional comic, offer a communication stream where the gap between the designer and these abstract sustainable notions can be bridged.
Looking ahead, I see a clear trajectory for applying this vision. In the short term, the plan is to work with research labs, innovation hubs, or companies focused on circular design and sustainable manufacturing. A few examples include reaching out to local makerspaces to “pitch” my fabrication workflow and possibly form some sort of collaboration. Additionally, I will be submitting a demo for the C&C conference on material literacy [11]. Using my skills in material exploration, digital fabrication, and interdisciplinary collaboration to develop scalable recycling workflows. This hands-on experience will allow me to refine not only the technical possibilities but also the social and systemic impact of my work. Over time, this foundation could support a mission-driven initiative, potentially a non-profit, focused on making recycled materials like TPU accessible for parametric and non-parametric design communities.
Ultimately, my vision is to link creativity, technical accuracy, and ethical responsibility, making sustainability both actionable and inspiring through design. I want my work to empower others to see materials and processes not as constraints, but as opportunities to create, iterate, and make a tangible positive impact.