Seminar on Sustainable Design in Transition: Research, Methods, and Strategies for Future Challenges - Linking Sustainable Design Research with Practical Decision Support
Professor Sophie I. Hallstedt Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden This seminar will be chaired by A/P Moon Seung Ki. |
| Seminar Abstract |
As global material and energy resources become increasingly constrained, the manufacturing industry faces growing challenges and diminishing opportunities to rely on consuming finite resources. To address these issues, integrating long-term strategic sustainability principles is essential—not only to navigate resource limitations but also to create value for society and the environment. In this seminar, Professor Hallstedt will present a proactive, systematic, and strategic approach to sustainable product development, demonstrated through decision support tools designed to embed a sustainability perspective—particularly in the early-stages of the design process. She will share recent research findings in sustainable product development and present an overview of the area of Sustainable Design - what it comes from, what it has become, and what Sustainable Design research needs to be about to meet current and future complex challenges. Finally, she will present some of her key focus areas within Sustainable Design and advocate for a systems perspective that supports both resilience and long-term sustainability. |
| Speaker's Biography |
Sophie I. Hallstedt is a Full Professor at Chalmers University of Technology. She leads a research team in the field of Sustainable Product Development with a focus on integrating and implementing a strategic sustainability perspective into the product innovation process. Sophie’s teaching and research activities revolves around the strategic integration of a socio-ecological sustainability perspective in the early phases of product development. Her expertise and leadership have led to her involvement in committees within the international Design Society network. She has also developed courses and master's programs, and she offers a PhD course titled "Sustainability in Product Development" for the Product Development Academy in Sweden. Her work has resulted in the development of innovative methods, models, and decision support tools that enable product development teams to assess the maturity level of sustainability implementation, evaluate the sustainability impact of various solutions, and visualize progress in sustainability implementation. Through collaborations with industry partners, Sophie's research has demonstrated possible applications in the industry, with validation of her methods. Her work goes beyond theoretical frameworks as she actively strives to bridge the gap between academia and industry. Her research has been recognized for its impact and relevance and has been nominated and included in the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA)’s 100-list both in year 2020 and in year 2023. |