F. (Fernando) Del Caro Secomandi MSc

F. (Fernando) Del Caro Secomandi MSc

Profile

Assistant Professor of Service Design for Emerging Technologies with a bachelor's degree in Industrial Design (Esdi-Uerj, Brazil, 2003), an MSc degree in Strategic Product Design (TU Delft, 2007), and a PhD in Design (TU Delft, 2012).

With a strong foundation in industrial design and a deep interest in its intersection with the philosophy of technology, my research over many years has focused on service design and postphenomenology.

Currently, I investigate designers’ contributions to social justice in emerging technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence) through form-giving practices. Specifically, I am developing conceptual frameworks for the design of technology-mediated human freedom, drawing on the Hegelian notion of intersubjective recognition, with applications across various service sectors.

In the healthcare sector, I co-lead the "First 1000 Days" ambition within the Healthy Start program (Convergence). In the legal sector, I am a member of the "Center for Law, Design, and AI" at the "AI, Data & Digitalization" program (Convergence) and co-director of the forthcoming "Justice by Design" lab, part of the Delft Design Labs (TU Delft).

My academic work has been published in leading journals and books in both design and the philosophy of technology. I am currently editing the volume "Design Philosophy after the Technology Turn" (Bloomsbury, forthcoming) in partnership with Peter-Paul Verbeek (Rector of the University of Amsterdam). In 2014, the journal Design Issues selected my article "The Object of Service Design" for their 30th Anniversary Collection.

In terms of editorial roles, I have served as Deputy Editor of Design Studies (2021–2023), Associate Editor of the Journal of Human-Technology Relations (2021–present), and Senior Editor of Designing, the upcoming journal of the Design Research Society. Additionally, I am an elected member of the International Advisory Council (2024–2030) of the Design Research Society, contributing to efforts to enhance the global diversity of academic publishing in design.

I have extensive teaching experience, having developed and delivered courses on various industrial design topics at undergraduate, graduate, and post-professional levels in Dutch and Brazilian universities. Most recently, I introduced the course "Design Justice and Emerging Technologies" as part of TU Delft's MSc Design for Interaction.

During my tenure at the Rio de Janeiro State University (Esdi-Uerj) in Brazil, I held senior administrative positions as Vice Coordinator of the Graduate Program in Design (2015–2018) and Coordinator of Research (2016–2019). Concurrently, I worked part-time as a consultant for MJV Technology & Innovation (2017–2021), where I led design-driven innovation projects for digital transformation in global companies.

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Publications