Politecnico di Milano

Valentina Rognoli is Associate Professor at Politecnico di Milano, where she works at the intersection of materials design, biodesign, and regenerative approaches. With over twenty years of research experience, her work focuses on DIY materials and experimental practices as tools to rethink how materials are designed, produced, and valued. She leads the Materials Design for Transition research group and is the founder of B.Lab, a research initiative dedicated to materials experimentation and biodesign. She is also Director of the Master in Design for Sustainability and Regeneration at POLIDesign. Through research and education, she explores the role of materials design in supporting ecological transition and more responsible design futures.

​​Malu Lücking is a PhD candidate at Politecnico di Milano, where she is part of the Materials Design for Transition research group in the Design Department. Both a researcher and a practitioner, she works at the intersection of biodesign and marine ecology. Her research investigates how design can engage with oceanic systems—exploring sea-derived materials and living processes as environmentally sustainable alternatives to terrestrial resources, and as opportunities to collaborate with, rather than merely extract from, marine life. Her work has been internationally recognised for bridging material innovation with marine science and for envisioning a more symbiotic relationship between design and the sea.