Melissa Acker

Melissa Acker is an academic researcher and educator at Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences (HFT Stuttgart), specializing in sustainable materials and mycelium-based innovation. She holds a Diplom in Industrial Design from the State Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart and currently leads the 'Myco Lab' for Mushroom Materials research. Her roles include:

• Guest Lecturer at Münster School of Design (Product Design)
• Lecturer in Materials & Aesthetics at Muthesius Kunsthochschule Kiel
• Founder of 'sustainable matter' studio (2021)

Her research focuses on:

• Bioregional materials
• Construction waste repurposing
• Mycelium composites for architecture
• Hemp applications in building
• Circular design methodologies

Recent work includes the HFT Hemp Construction Symposium (2024), the 'car2tree' urban renewal project, and the award-winning 'Mycelium Model Making' initiative. She has published extensively on biomaterials and circular construction, with key contributions in md und db and DeutscheBauzeitschrift.

Awards include the 2024 competitionline CAMPUS Award (Mycelium Model Making) and 2018 Creative Conscience Silver Award. Her pedagogical innovations include the Rethinking Bricks recycling course and the Staging Lino linoleum revival project.

Labs/Initiatives: Myco Lab (HFT Stuttgart), Reallabor 'Denk- und Macherei', and the IMIAD Material Laboratory.