Dr. ir. Pohlmeyer, A.E.

Anna Pohlmeyer is assistant professor of Design for Wellbeing at the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering. She is one of the instigators of Positive Design – the scientific study of Design for Wellbeing. In this vein, her research expertise lies in the field of Design for Happiness, Human-Centered Design Methodology, and User Experience with a focus on prolonging positive experiences.

Fascinated by the interplay of people, design, and technology, her trans-disciplinary background combines studies in psychology (Humboldt University Berlin) with a minor in product design (School of Art and Design Berlin Weissensee) and a PhD in engineering (TU Berlin & University of Luxembourg). Prior to her doctoral studies on prospective design of human-technology interaction, she worked at MIT AgeLab (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) on ideas and technologies that improve quality of life across the lifespan. At IDE, Anna systematically advances our understanding of positive (and negative) effects of designed artifacts on people’s psychological wellbeing. She studies how to design for the good life and how to assess design-mediated wellbeing.

Anna Pohlmeyer is co-director of the Delft Institute of Positive Design (TU Delft) and board member of the Design Research Society Special Interest Group on Design for Wellbeing, Happiness, and Health.

2011
Doktorin der Ingenieurwissenschaften (Dr.-Ing.), TU Berlin & Université du Luxembourg (summa cum laude)

2006
Diplom in Psychology, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin (with distinction)

2012 – present
Assistant professor, Department of Industrial Design, Delft University of Technology

2010 – present
Member of executive board/scientific advisory board, Center of Human-Machine Systems, TU Berlin

2009 – 2011
AFR Grant Beneficiary, Fonds National de la Recherche Luxembourg

2007 – 2011
PhD research, Prospective Design of Human-Technology Interaction, TU Berlin
funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG)

2010
Short-term visiting researcher & tutor, Aalto University, School of Art and Design, Helsinki

2007 – 2008
Guest lecturer, Department of Industrial Design, School of Art and Design Berlin-Weissensee

2006  – 2007
Research associate, MIT AgeLab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

2005 – 2006
Student assistant, Sensorimotor-Cognitive Couplings, Max-Planck-Institute for Human Development

• Design for happiness
• User experience
• User-centered design
• Human-technology interaction
• Intuitive use of user interfaces
• Aging
• User involvement in early product development 

• Lecturer: product understanding, usage, and experience
• Tutor: exploring interactions
• Lecturer & tutor: Mens en Product
• Supervisor and mentor: graduation projects

For further information see www.id-studiolab.nl/pohlmeyer.