Prof. Daniela Peukert

Dr. Daniela Peukert is the Academic Program Director and Professor of Design & Sustainability Transformation at Tomorrow University of Applied Sciences. As a product designer with a PhD in Sustainability Sciences, she develops sustainable products that have a positive impact. She is an expert in design(erly) thinking, user experience research, and the role of design for sustainability transformations. In her research, she explores design prototyping and material metaphors to foster integration and knowledge co-production within transdisciplinary processes and works towards a more-than-human-centered design approach.

Personal mission

Aims to establish design, its theories, research approaches, and methods as a planet-centric, sustainable, and transformative practice that addresses complex real-world problems and aims to shape society - and to educate students for this future role.

Courses Taught

Customer Development

Design theory

Design methods - insights into design practice

Design-oriented transdisciplinary methodologies as transformative research and learning

Generative Design Research Methods

Introduction to Product Design

Measuring, Learning, Iterating

Product Development & Prototyping

Transforming the SDGs

Transdisciplinarity - Digital and Designtheoretical Perspectives

Orientation Group Challenge

Visual techniques

Visualize your visions - narrative science communication

Research

Daniela is fascinated by the possibility of addressing our pressing societal and environmental challenges through design research, participatory processes, and well-designed products. One issue she sees as particularly important is the transformation toward sustainability. Often this means addressing very complex problems, which can only be countered by trans-disciplinary work of all stakeholder groups (science, politics, civil society, etc.). Here, she sees great potential for design and design research. With her research and teaching, she wants to address these problems and create positive change. Embedded in real-world problems, her work contributes to theory-building in the specific fields of her expertise and highlights practical examples and political recommendations for action through cooperation with practice partners. This motivation is reflected in her fields of research:

Sustainable & Planet-centric Design
Transdisciplinary Design & Knowledge Co-production
Design Methods & Prototyping
Tangible and visual forms of cognition & material metaphors

List of Papers

2023 Taimur, S., Peukert, D., Pearce, B., „Design Thinking“. In: Philipp, T., Schmohl, T. (eds) „Handbook Transdisciplinary Learning“, transcript, Bielefeld (in print).

2023 Caniglia, G., Freeth, R., Luederitz, C. ..., Peukert, D., ... et al. „Practical wisdom and virtue ethics for knowledge co-production in sustainability science“, Nature Sustainability, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-022-01040-1

2022 Peukert, D., „Material metaphors – an approach to collaborative knowledge production in transdisciplinary sustainability research “, In Lockton, D., Lenzi, S., Hekkert, P., Oak, A., Sádaba, J., Lloyd, P. (eds.), DRS2022: Bilbao, 25 June - 3 July, Bilbao/Spain. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2022.775

2021 Peukert, D., Lam, D.P.M., Horcea-Milcu, A.I., Lang, D.J., „Facilitating collaborative processes in transdisciplinary research using design prototyping“, Journal of Design Research.

2021 Peukert, D., Vilsmaier, U., „Collaborative design prototyping in transdisciplinary research: An approach to heterogeneity and unknowns“, Futures.

2020 Fazey, I., Schäpke, N., Caniglia, G., ..., Peukert, D., ... et al. *„Transforming knowledge systems for life on Earth: Visions of future systems and how to get there.“*Energy Research & Social Science.

2020 Meyer, E., Peukert, D., „Designing a transformative epistemology of the problematic. A perspective for transdisciplinary sustainability research.“ Social Epistemology.

2019 Peukert, D., Vilsmaier, U., „Entwurfsbasierte Interventionen in der transdisziplinären Forschung“. In: Ukowitz M., Hübner R. (eds) „Interventionsforschung“, p. 227 – 250. Springer, Wiesbaden (ISBN 978-3-658-22047-1).

2019 Lam, D.P.M., Horcea-Milcu, A.I., ..., Peukert, D., ... et al., „Three principles for co- designing sustainability intervention strategies: Experiences from Southern Transylvania.“ Ambio.

2019 Fam, D., Clarke, E., Freeth, R., ..., Peukert, D., ... et al., „Interdisciplinary and trans- disciplinary research and practice: balancing expectations of the ‘old’ academy with the future model of universities as ‘problem solvers’.“ Higher Education Quarterly.

2019 Fischer, J., Horcea-Milcu, A.I., Lang, D.J, et al. „Sustainability Initiatives in Transylvania“. In: „Balance Brings Beauty – Strategies for a Sustainable Southern Transylvania“. Pensoft, Sofia (ISBN 978-954-642-946-9).

2019 Peukert, D., „ReThink – ReStructure – ReConnect“. In: „(Bio) Diversitätskorridore“. Leuphana Universität Lüneburg, Lüneburg (ISBN 978-3-935786-73-7).

2018 Peukert, D., Augsten, A., „Reflecting on the Roles and Skill Set of Designers and Design Researchers“, In: Swiss Design Network (2018) „Unfrozen – a design research reader by the Swiss Design Network“, p. 143 - 150, Triest Verlag, Zurich, CH, (ISBN 978-3-03863-032-6).

2017 Peukert, D., „Co-creating transformative processes – a designerly approach“, In: „Proceedings of Transformations Conference 2017“, p. 22-23, Dundee/UK.

2016 Augsten, A., Peukert, D., et.al., „Today’s and tomorrow’s design researcher: reinventing the intersection“, In: B. Elzenbaumer et al., eds. „PhD by Design – Instant Journal #3 – Exploring what the future holds practice-based PhDs“, p. 50-51.

2015 Peukert, D., „Design methods as integrators in transdisciplinary research processes“, in: B. Elzenbaumer et al., eds. „PhD by Design – Instant Journal #2 – Researching across difference“ (2015), p. 28 – 29.

Book Chapters

Books (Monographs)

Grants

Professional Community Services

Reviewing:

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications
Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems
Systemic Practice and Action Research
SDN - Swiss Design Network
DGTF - Dt. Gesellschaft für Designtheorie und -forschung

‍

Organizational & Editorship Activities

Program Committee Memberships and Chairing:‍

2019 - Organisation Committee Member Leverage Points Conference 2019, Leuphana University of Lueneburg, Germany
2017 - Organisation Committee Member International Transdisciplinarity Conference 2017, Leuphana University of Lueneburg, Germany

Other

2019 - Scholarship of „ProScience Program for Female Researchers“, Leuphana University of Lueneburg, Germany

Talks

2022 „Decentralised design interventions as approaches to complex sustainability problems“, Swiss Design Network Research Summit 2022, Zurich/Switzerland
2022 „Sustainability Education“, European Economic and Social Commitee „EU hearing: Empowering young people to achieve sustainable development through education“, Brussels/Belgium
2022 „Educating future change agents“, TechQuartier „A glimpse into the future: tech foundations and use cases in the Metaverse“, Frankfurt/Germany
2022 „Material metaphors – an approach to collaborative knowledge production in transdisciplinary sustainability research“, Design Research Society Conference 2022, Bilbao/Spain
2021 „Design-based approaches to integration and knowledge co-production in transdisciplinary research“, International Transdisciplinarity Conference 2021, online
2021 „Kollaboratives Design Prototyping in der transdisziplinären Forschung: Eine Annäherung an Heterogenität und das Unbekannte“, Frühjahrstagung Deutsche Gesellschaft für Soziologie 2021, Sektionen ‘Methoden der empirischen Sozialforschung‘ und ‘Umweltsoziologie‘, Jülich, Germany
2021 „Facing challenges of collaboration with design prototyping“, Transformations Conference 2020, online
2020 „Facilitating Collaborative Processes in Transformative Transdisciplinary Research – Design Prototyping as a Creative Intervention“, EASST4S Conference 2020, Prague, CZ
2019 „Re-thinking Design as a transformative research practice“, Workshop „The Emerging Interface: Design and Sustainability Transitions“, Melbourne, AUS
2019 „Design methods for integration in inter- and transdisciplinary research“, Symposium „Interdisciplinarity Revisited“, Berlin, Germany
2019 „Designing a transformative epistemology of the problematic. A perspective for transdisciplinary sustainability research.“, International Transdisciplinarity Conference 2019, Gothenburg, Sweden
2019 „Co-creation with prototyping in transdisciplinary processes“, Susplace Conference 2019, Tampere, Finland
2019 „Designing a transformative epistemology of the problematic. A perspective for transdisciplinary sustainability research“, „International conference on sustainability research and transformation. Leverage Points 2019“, Lüneburg, Germany (with E. Meyer)
2019 „Re-thinking Design as a transformative research practice in Sustainability Science“, „International conference on sustainability research and transformation. Leverage Points 2019“, Lüneburg, Germany

‍

Memberships

DGTF - Dt. Gesellschaft für Designtheorie und -forschung
DRS - Design Research Society
RRC - Responsive Research Collective
GTPF - Gesellschaft für transdisziplinäre und partizipative Forschung

Consulting / Entrepreneurship Projects

2014 - 2016: Co-Founder of the Design Research Group design:transfer, Hamburg/Berlin

Founder projects