13.11.2026 — 02 PM
From Inquiry to Project: Trajectories and Boundaries in Design Research: A Reflection on Paths, Methods and Practice.
Raquel Antunes
Room 2.08, FAL/UBI
Research in Design is rarely a straight path. It does not emerge from abstract theories confined to a drawer, but from the daily friction between industrial reality, design practice and the paradoxes of consumption.
Drawing on a professional journey that began in the ceramics industry and expanded into strategic design management and consumer behaviour, this seminar invites us to pause and look back at the very beginning: “How, after all, does one develop a PhD thesis?” The focus is on the initial questions and concerns — the uncomfortable doubts, the contradictions encountered in the field and the questions that keep us awake at night. These are the true driving forces behind research.
The discussion unfolds across three interconnected areas: from materials and circularity to the dilemmas of sustainable packaging, and the emotional and participatory impact of design on people. By bringing together published projects and ongoing research, the aim is simple: to demystify the PhD journey, demonstrate how the chaos of an idea can be transformed into rigorous research, and challenge each doctoral student to find the question that will drive their own thesis.
Raquel Antunes holds a PhD in Design from the University of Aveiro (2012) and a degree in Product Design from ESAD Caldas da Rainha (2003), complemented by solid prior experience in the ceramics industry. She is a lecturer and coordinator of the Master’s Degree in Design Management at IADE (Universidade Europeia), an integrated researcher at UNIDCOM/IADE, and an Assistant Professor at Instituto Superior Miguel Torga (Coimbra). Throughout her career, she served as an Invited Assistant Professor for 15 years at the Polytechnic of Leiria (ESTG), taught and coordinated the Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Product Design at Universidade Lusíada Norte, and served on its Scientific Council.
With numerous publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals, book chapters and international conference proceedings, her research brings together Product Design, Design Management and Consumer Perception, with a particular focus on sustainability strategies and materials. She is also continuously involved in supervising master’s dissertations and PhD theses, promoting applied, rigorous and multidisciplinary research.