Ellis van den Hende

Ellis van den Hende is an Assistant Professor of Innovation Acceptance and Consumer Research at the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, TU Delft. Previously, she held an Assistant Professor position at the Amsterdam Business School. She earned both her MSc (cum laude) and PhD (cum laude) in Industrial Design Engineering. Her research focuses on consumer adoption of innovations, sustainable product-service systems, narrative transportation, and cross-cultural consumer behavior.

Education:

• PhD (2010): 'Really New Stories: The Effect of Early Concept Narratives on Consumer Understanding and Attitudes'
• MSc (cum laude): Industrial Design Engineering

Research Interests: Ellis explores how narratives and storytelling influence consumer perception of radical innovations, barriers to eco-innovation adoption, and the role of digitalization in product-service systems. Her work bridges design, marketing, and consumer psychology to address sustainability challenges and improve innovation strategies.

Key Contributions: Her research has been published in top journals like Journal of Consumer Research, Psychological Science, and Journal of Product Innovation Management. She has also collaborated with industry on projects exploring sustainable business models and young venture collaborations.

Teaching: Ellis teaches courses on research methods, strategic design, and innovation management at undergraduate and graduate levels. She supervises master’s and PhD theses related to innovation acceptance and sustainable design.

Labs/Teams: Affiliated with TU Delft's Design for Sustainability group and the Responsible Marketing research cluster.