The Expert Council consists of 10 individuals with diverse expertise and perspectives on our theme, Design for Democracy:

The Expert Council consists of 10 individuals with diverse expertise and perspectives on our theme, Design for Democracy:

Friedrich von Borries

is a theorist of architecture and design and a professor at the University of Fine Arts in Hamburg. His research explores the connections between design and societal change, with a focus on urban development, architecture, design, and art within a sociopolitical context.

Pelin Celik

is a professor of Industrial and Systemic Design at the University of Applied Sciences in Berlin. She applies a holistic, user-centered design approach, emphasizing user needs and experiences while integrating systemic, playful design methods.

Thomas A. Geisler

is Director of the Museum of Decorative Arts and the Design Campus at the Dresden State Art Collections. He has a strong interest in interdisciplinary and speculative design research, viewing museums as future labs and design as a tool for transformation.

Sarah Fasbender

is part of the leadership team at the Education Innovation Lab, a nonprofit think-and-do tank dedicated to fundamentally transforming the education system. Her work focuses on building alliances for projects and products that empower young people to acquire future skills.

Stève Hiobi

is a German-Cameroonian content creator on Instagram and TikTok and an Afrofluencer in Germany. His videos focus on often-overlooked topics in mainstream media, such as Africa’s history, cultures, music, and its people.

Eileen Mandir

is a professor of Systemic Design in the Design Faculty at the University of Applied Sciences in Munich. She brings together her background in design, engineering, and coaching to drive change and discussions for individuals, systems, and organizations.

Lena Marbacher

is a freelance journalist and co-founder of Neue Narrative, a business magazine, and the associated publishing house NN Publishing GmbH. She specializes in topics related to work and the economy.

Claudia Neu

is a professor of Sociology of Rural Areas at the Universities of Göttingen and Kassel, with research expertise in demographic change, public services, inequality, and social cohesion.

Ricarda Pätzold

heads the Urban Development, Law, and Social Affairs Research Unit at the German Institute of Urban Affairs in Berlin. Her work focuses on housing policy, municipal land policy, and the transformation of downtowns and city centers.

Laura Weißmüller

is an architecture editor at Süddeutsche Zeitung, responsible for architecture, urban planning, and design, and she teaches architectural criticism at the Technical University of Munich. She is interested in how design can shape environments that foster societal interaction.