Prof. ir. Nas, D.N.

Deborah Nas is Professor of Strategic Design for Technology-based innovation at the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering.

Academic Background

Deborah graduated from the faculty of Industrial Design Engineering at the Delft University of Technology in 1996. After kick-starting her career at Philips and KPN, she co-founded and managed a strategic innovation agency for 16 years. Deborah worked with global and local brands on implementing new innovation processes and driving innovation forward. She currently acts as a sparring partner for senior management teams on future-proofing their organization. She is also a renowned keynote speaker on innovation and technology at public, corporate and academic events.

Deborah acts at the crossroads of Technology, Business, and Psychology. She is fascinated by consumer behaviour and why people embrace or reject technological innovations. She recently developed a new design methodology that enables students and professional innovators to find the hidden opportunities for technological innovations at the intersection of what is right for people, business and the world. The ‘Tech Design Strategies’ and accompanying toolkit help innovators to design for technology adoption, resulting in more successful tech products.

At Industrial Design Engineering, Deborah is involved in different courses, teaching students strategic design and technology-based innovation. She was also closely involved in the development of the faculty's new bachelor program.

Deborah is a driving force in various university-wide initiatives like vision teams on the societal impact of quantum internet and quantum computers and innovation projects on mobility and student well-being. Besides, she was the coordinator of the Accelerator Team, a multidisciplinary team of ten talented Delft energy scientists that drive TU Delft's impact on the energy transition and its intended acceleration. In her role as managing director of the TU Delft Transport & Mobility Institute, she is coordinating a multidisciplinary team of twelve Delft mobility scientists to explore future scenarios for mobility systems and set TU Delft’s agenda for mobility research and education.

Education

• 1990–1996
  MSc Industrial Design Engineering with honors, Delft University of Technology

Experience

• 2022 – present
  Member of the Investment Committee of InnovationQuarter’s IQCapital investment fund.
• 2022 – present
  Co-Founder of the ‘Centre for Quantum & Society’, part of the Dutch Quantum Delta NL programme
• 2021 – 2023
  Visiting Professor Politecnico di Milano, Italy, teaching a new course: Design for adoption of new technologies
• 2019 – present
  Member of the supervisory board at Hardt Hyperloop, Europe’s leading hyperloop development company
• 2018 – present
  Keynote speaker, C-level sparring partner and advisory board member on technology & innovation (self-employed)
• 2015 – present
  Professor of Strategic design for technology-based innovation at the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, TU Delft
• 2014 – present
  Board member Cre8, a social venture in 3D printing and urban manufacturing
• 2002 – 2018
  Founder and managing director of Sunidee, a strategic innovation agency
• 1997 – 2002
  Multiple positions at KPN: international consultant, business development manager, product manager
• 1996 – 1997
  New product developer, Philips Research

Specialisation

• Strategic design and technology-based innovation
• Technology adoption and resistance
• The societal impact of new technologies

Projects

• Coordinator of the 'TU Delft Mobilizers', a multidisciplinary team of twelve scientists that specialise in mobility. This is an initiative of the TU Delft | Transport & Mobility Institute, with the objective to explore future scenarios for mobility systems and set TU Delft’s agenda for mobility research and education.

• Core team member of the vision team on quantum internet and team member of the vision team on quantum computing. These interdisciplinary vision teams explore the societal impact of quantum technologies.

• Member of the TU Delft lustrum committee and coordinator of the Accelerator Team, a multidisciplinary team of ten talented Delft energy scientists that drive TU Delft's impact on the energy transition and its intended acceleration.

• Coordinator of the university-wide initiative 'Covid-19 Digital Campus'. 23 scientists from 4 faculties work together with university services to realise concepts supporting the 1.5m campus and student well-being. Projects within this initiative vary from dashboards to monitor crowds and traffic flows to chatbots measuring student well-being.