MSc. Baldassarre, B.

Brian Baldassarre is PhD candidate at the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering.

Academic Background

When I was 3 years old, I went to the mountains for the first time and discovered nature. I decided to become a paleontologist, explore the world and look for fossil dinosaurs trapped into the rock. Today, I am not a paleontologist, definitely. But I haven’t forgotten nature. With my work, I strive to be an active agent of change in the transition towards sustainable development.

I hold a BSc in Product Design at Politecnico di Milano University and an MSc in Strategic Product Design at Delft University of Technology with a specialization in Sustainable Development. 

Throughout and after my studies, I have been working as a strategist and design consultant within sustainability innovation projects in collaboration with clients and partners in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. I have also been working in Latin America and in Asia on various international development projects related to water and sanitation, sustainable urban mobility and food supply chains.

As a researcher at Delft University of Technology I have been exploring how sustainability objectives can be used as a catalyst for business innovation and I have investigated factors underlying successful implementation of design projects in emerging markets. Currently I am doing a PhD on how to implement and assess the impact of new business models in the context of a Circular Economy, working on a Horizon 2020 project. 

Education

• 2018 – 2018
  Visiting student within courses of the the MSc Program "Global Business & Sustainability", Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (Rotterdam, The Netherlands)
• 2016 – 2016
  Cleantech Launchpad, Lean Innovation & Business Planning Masterclass, TU Delft (Delft, The Netherlands)
• 2012 – 2015
  MSc Strategic Product Design, TU Delft
• 2008 – 2011
  BSc Product Design, Polytechnic University of Milan (Milan, Italy)
• 2009 –  2010 
  Erasmus Exchange Program, Industrial and Product Design, Universitat Ramon Llull (Barcelona, Spain)

Experience

• 2018 – Present
  PhD researcher, TU Delft (Delft, The Netherlands)
  Researching and designing Business Models for Sustainability and the Circular Economy
  

• 2017 – 2018 
  Researcher, EIT Raw Materials / TU Delft (Delft, The Netherlands)
  IntCEB project - International Intelligence and Business Development Network on Circular Economy Business Opportunities with China
  

• 2016 – 2018
  Business Innovation Consultant, Except Integrated Sustainability (Utrecht, The Netherlands)
  Working with clients in the public and private sector on projects related to the Circular Economy, Natural Capital, Sustainable Supply Chains and Sustainability Metrics
  

• 2016 – 2018
  Business Designer, Amigo Climate (Rome, Italy)
  Business Design, Concept Development and Visual Communication for a small enterprise providing Climate Services (Analysis and Risk Management)
  

• 2016 – 2018
  Independent Consultant, Brian Baldassarre - Research.Strategy.Design (Delft, The Netherlands) 
  Providing innovation consultancy services
  

• 2016 – 2017
  Entrepreneur, EIT Climate KIC Greenhouse pre-incubation Program (Delft, The Netherlands) 
  New product development and business strategy for a new venture
  

• 2015 – 2016
  Researcher, TU Delft (Delft, The Netherlands) 
  Researching lean innovation and business models for sustainable development
  

• 2015 – 2016
  Graduation Student, Climate KIC (Delft, The Netherlands) 
  Developing a new service and a business model to encourage energy saving behavior inside office buildings
  

• 2013 – 2014
  Service Designer and Product Designer, Enviu (Rotterdam, The Netherlands / Varanasi, India)
  Designing and building a new cycle rickshaw Product Service System for an Indian Social Business in collaboration with a Dutch Business Kickstarter and the World Bank

• 2012 – 2012
  Designer, United Nations Development Programme (Tegucigalpa, Honduras)
  Field work and design for clean water supply and sanitation in rural communities
  

• 2012 – 2012
  Designer and Researcher, Sustainable Development Research Centre (Rome, Itay)
  Project development and support
  

• 2011 – 2011
  Intern, Design Innovation & Sustainability Research Unit, Milan Polytechnic University (Milan, Italy)
  Project support