Biomaterials design, research
and education.


About Ana Lisa

I'm a Biomaterials Design and Biodesign professor and consultant.
I currently work independently online, conducting R&D, designing educational programmes, advising students, institutions and brands. I teach students and professionals in the creative fields how to make new materials and things through recycling organic waste or cultivating organisms, inspiring sustainability and autarchy.
My background spans over 20 years through multiple disciplines but only one subject, Sustainable Design (then called Eco-Design), and since 2017, I have focused on Biodesign (short for Biodegradable Design).
Born in Buenos Aires in 1977, I lived in London through my 20s, worked as a travelling photojournalist through my 30s, and most recently spent another cycle in The Netherlands, immersed in academia.
I hold an MA in Design Curating and Writing from Design Academy Eindhoven, where I investigated how a local breed of designers transformed manufacturing through semi-industrial machines (Human and Machine, Design Department, 2017), and a BA (Hons) degree in Eco-Design from London's Goldsmiths, where I captured how people solve everyday design problems through instinct and hacks (instinctivedesign, e-book, 2007).
After completing my BA, I started my career as a sustainable design curator at [re]design, curating and producing exhibitions and workshops across the UK and China.
After 7 years in London, I returned to Argentina where I created Festival Sustentable (2008-09), an educational public event featuring workshops, lectures, films, and a 100-objects exhibition with a Biodegradable Design area.
I curated a collection for MALBA Museum's Store, advised emerging designers and big brands, judged at competitions for Nokia and Maison et Objet, and lectured to an audience of 9,000 people at TMDG, the largest design and motion event in Latin America (2010).
In the following 7 years, I delved into online journalism, contributing primarily to Inhabitat.com, a leading sustainable design, architecture and innovation platform, where I conducted original research, travelled and reported from Design Weeks globally. As well as publishing raw vegan food recipes.
After completing my MA in 2017, I taught and lectured specifically
on Biomaterials Design and Biodesign in different European contexts, including Eindhoven University of Technology, Amsterdam University of the Arts, NUOVA Accademia di Belle Arti, Floating University Berlin,
and Bruxelles Environnement Leefmilieu. I helped initiate the first BioArt MA in the Netherlands, Ecology Futures (2019).
I was a knowledge partner for a Circular Biobased Building (2020), advised Design Academy's BA Admissions team (2020-23), and beta-tested an open-source materials database (2023).
However, I was mainly dedicated to Make Material Sense (2017-22), my course at Design Academy Eindhoven, where I guided over 300 projects, opened the school's BioLab, produced public exhibitions with my students, and collaborated with experts in different niches, including Precious Plastic. This led me to develop my teaching methodology and assemble a Biomaterials Archive, which was showcased at Dutch Design Week (2019).