Ana Margarida Ferreira

Dr. Ana Margarida Ferreira is an Associate Professor with Habilitation in Design at Universidade da Beira Interior (Portugal), where she coordinates the PhD in Design program. As Senior Researcher at UBI's i*Artes/Labcom R&D unit, she founded and leads the DES'SIDE Lab focused on Design for Sustainability and Social Innovation. Her academic credentials include a Habilitation (IADE-UE, 2020), PhD in Production Engineering/Industrial Design (UBI, 2008), and postgraduate studies at Glasgow School of Art.

Research Leadership

Dr. Ferreira directs transdisciplinary research in:

• Design methodologies for social change and community development
• Sustainable innovation in fashion, healthcare, and cultural industries
• Speculative design for ecological and social resilience
• Entrepreneurship education for marginalized groups

Awards & Recognition

• IADE-U Research and Teaching Award (2015)
• Laureate International Universities 'Here for Good' Prize (2017)
• Coordinated €1M+ in competitive grants including FCT and Erasmus+ projects

Supervision & Mentoring

Supervised 9 PhDs to completion, currently advising 6 doctoral candidates and 1 postdoc. Research themes include sustainable fashion systems, medical device design, refugee integration through gaming, and rural co-creation frameworks.

Lab & Organizational Leadership

Founder of DES'SIDE Lab (Design for Sustainability, Social Innovation and Development) at UBI, President of Creative Nature Hub NGO, and co-editor of DISCERN Journal. Previously led UNIDCOM/IADE research unit and IADE's Design School executive board.