Teaching team

Ana Margarida Ferreira currently serves as Associate Professor with Habilitation in Design at University of Beira Interior, alongside her role as Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Director of PhD Program in Design and Researcher at UBI’s R&D unit, iArtes. Her academic background includes Habilitation in Design (IADE, 2020), Postdoc in Design and Innovation for Social Change (Cyprus University of Technology, 2019), a PhD in Prod Eng/Industrial Design (UBI, 2008), Post-Graduation in Product Design (Glasgow School of Art/CPD, 1996), and BA in Industrial Design (IADE, 1995). Dr Ferreira’s research interests primarily lie in Design Research Methodologies, Creativity & Innovation, Design Education, Social Innovation, and Sustainable Development.

João Rosa is director and co-founder of 4iS Social innovation. Since 2006 he has been developer and coordinator of volunteering and community-based projects for local development and in 2009 co-founded the first Iberoamerican students’ network. Co-founder of VivaCidade – Dress-up city Voids project under the framework of Actors of Urban Change program. He’s a cultural manager and a certified trainer in project management, non-formal education and education for human rights and active citizenship. He was part of the strategic team for the implementation of Tandem Europe – Social Innovation & Tandem Regions program. He was also coordinator of the outreach and mediation programme of the Aveiro 2027 European Capital of Culture candidacy.

Julia Cyr serves as the Museum Supervisor for the Kamloops Museum and Archives, Canada. In Julia’s role, she oversees the museum’s comprehensive operations. This includes spearheading a team with a community-focused lens on exhibitions, programs, initiatives, and the stewardship of a rich archival collection. Leading in the museum’s commitment to reconciliation with the local Indigenous community, Julia played a key role in strategic planning in the development of the award-winning “You Are Here” Kamloops Cultural Strategic Plan (2024-2034). Julia is currently the longest-serving leader of an arts organization in Kamloops.

Katarina Šrimpf Vendramin, ethnologist and cultural anthropologist, is a research associate at the Institute of Slovenian Ethnology ZRC SAZU. She conducts research in the field of folklore studies and material culture, primarily studying identity processes in borderlands, folklore genres, clothing culture, fashion history and traditional textile crafts. She is the author of a scientific monograph and numerous academic and popular articles. She regularly participates in international and national conferences and is involved as a collaborator or project leader in many international projects.

Nancy Duxbury is a Principal Researcher at the Centre for Social Studies, University of Coimbra. Her research areas include cultural mapping, cultural work in non-urban areas, culture in local sustainable development, and creative tourism development. She coordinates the Horizon Europe project “IN SITU: Place-based Innovation of Cultural and Creative Industries in Non-urban Areas.” She also leads the CREATOUR Observatory on Culture and Tourism for Local Development, which aims to bridge research, practice and policy. She is co-editor of the books Cultural Mapping as Cultural Inquiry (2015/2021) and Artistic Approaches to Cultural Mapping: Activating Imaginaries and Means of Knowing (2019/2021).

Rita Salvado is Professor of Textile Science and Technology and Director of the Wool Museum of the University of Beira Interior (UBI). In 2019 she was awarded by Messe Frankfurt Exhibition Gmbh for the “Techtextil Innovation Award”, concerning the co-authorship of a “New Application” for the textile industry. Previously, she was awarded with “The UBI Pedagogic Award”, for work developed to consolidate the identity of the bachelor in Fashion Design of UBI (2006-2012) and with “The Fiber Society Student Award for the Best research paper” for the study of non-woven materials. She researches on the synergy between Textile Engineering and Design, applied wearable technology and cultural valorization.

Sílvia Silva is a sociologist and researcher at the Centre for Social Studies of the University of Coimbra, where she is executive coordinator of the CREATOUR Observatory, focusing on the intersection of culture and tourism as a catalyst for local development. She has collaborated extensively with public and private entities, developing projects in cooperation with different organizations. Key initiatives include CREATOUR, linking the cultural and tourism sectors through an “action-research” approach; UNCHARTED, exploring the diverse emerging values of culture; and IN SITU, understanding the forms, processes, and governance needs of CCIs in non-urban areas to act as drivers of innovation. She has co-facilitated consultation, ideation, and prototyping sessions in the areas of culture and tourism. Her primary research interests include cultural policies and practices, creative tourism, participation, and collaborative practices.

Tiago Castro is a cultural manager, urbanist and researcher with 20-year experience in the cultural sector as producer, manager, creator and trainer. He is cofounder of the NGO 4iS Inovação Social where he develops urban transformation, community development projects and networks through culture, participation, collaborative practices and co-creation. He’s a researcher and executive coordinator of the CREATOUR Observatory at the Centre for Social Studies of the University of Coimbra in the fields of creative tourism, culture, local development and urban regeneration. He’s also a PhD candidate in Sociology - Cities and Urban Cultures with the research project «INTERMEDIA - Cultural intermediaries in urban regeneration in small cities».

Will Garrett-Petts is Professor of English, Rhetoric and Canadian Studies, and Principal Investigator for the Community and Cultural Mapping Research Group at Thompson Rivers University, Canada. He is engaged in exploring questions of visual and verbal culture, cultural mapping, and the artistic animation of small cities. His recent mapping projects include the co-development of the award-winning Kamloops Cultural Strategic Plan, You are Here; a nationally celebrated community-university alliance; the Researcher-in-Residence initiative; and Hot Topic, the cultural mapping of British Columbia’s fire mitigation program (FireSmart). He has presented and published over 170 papers and articles, and 18 books, including Artistic Approaches to Cultural Mapping (Routledge, 2019/2021), and Cultural Mapping as Cultural Inquiry (Routledge, 2015/2021). In 2023 he was awarded the Killam Visiting Professorship in Canadian Studies at Bridgewater State University.