Mareike Gast

Mareike Gast is a Professor of Industrial Design with a focus on Material, Technology and Sustainability at Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle since 2016. She is co-initiator and project leader of BurgLabs, an interdisciplinary research platform focused on sustainability, biotechnology, and robotics. Gast also leads the Materialsammlung of the BURG together with Prof. Dr. Sara Burkhardt and has been a board member of the Material-Archiv since 2025. She serves on the advisory board of the Bundespreis Ecodesign since 2019 and was a member of the Ressourcenkommission am Umweltbundesamt (2021-2023).

Education:

• Foundation Studies in Art and Design at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London (2000/01)
• Industrial Design at Design Academy Eindhoven (2001-2005)

Mareike Gast's research focuses on the development of sustainable material interactions and transformation processes, with particular emphasis on the potentials and risks of biotechnology. Her work explores how living microorganisms can be integrated into materials, membranes, and textile surfaces to create symbiotic systems. She investigates questions about living products, biological obsolescence, and the care required for perishable materials. Her research bridges industrial design, material science, and sustainability, with strong emphasis on circular economy principles and innovative production methods. She has pioneered approaches to embedding microorganisms in various materials using manufacturing techniques such as 3D printing and electrospinning.

Her recent publications and student projects demonstrate a consistent focus on sustainable design solutions across biomaterials, circular product development, and sustainable manufacturing. Projects like 'Compostable Devices' showcase innovative approaches to integrating biological materials into everyday products, while 'Monomaterial' addresses systemic challenges in material flows. Her work increasingly explores biotechnology applications in design, as seen in projects involving microbial materials, biofabrication, and living textiles. The 'Living Layers' project exemplifies her approach to symbiotic material systems, examining how microorganisms alter material properties and interact with the environment.

Mareike Gast has supervised numerous master's theses on sustainable design topics, mentoring students who have developed innovative approaches to material use and product design. Her guidance spans diverse areas including sustainable footwear ('prototyping footprints'), food systems ('Rethinking Food Storage Design'), and medical applications ('Monomaterial'). She has established a robust framework for design research that emphasizes hands-on experimentation alongside theoretical exploration.

As co-initiator of BurgLabs, Gast leads research in the BioLab and SustainLab, where interdisciplinary teams explore sustainable materials and production methods. The BioLab focuses on integrating living microorganisms into design processes, while SustainLab addresses systemic sustainability challenges in product design and manufacturing. These labs provide a platform for collaborative research with industry partners and academic institutions, facilitating knowledge exchange between design, science, and industry. The Materialsammlung she co-leads serves as a physical and conceptual resource for material exploration and innovation.