Maria João Lopes Guerreiro Félix

Maria João Félix is an academic and designer whose career is marked by a deep commitment to the fields of industrial design, education, industry, circular economy and sustainability. She is currently in the final stages of her Postdoctoral research in Design, titled "Bioneurodesign: from noetics to supermodernity," at the Lisbon School of Architecture, reflecting her dedication to pushing the boundaries of design and practice. In a pivotal role, Maria João Félix serves as the founder and General Chair of the international conference "Design Commit 2024," a platform that bridges the worlds of design and industry, fostering collaboration and innovation. Her leadership in this capacity underscores her passion for advancing design and industrial synergy. Beyond her conference leadership, Maria João Félix is an author, with her book, "Strategic Reflection for Design in Portugal: Systematization of internationally produced thinking on the contours of research in the field of design," emphasizing her commitment to elevating Portuguese design both nationally and internationally. Maria João Félix's academic journey includes earning her Ph.D. in Design from the Lisbon School of Architecture in 2013. In 2006, she completed her Master's in Industrial Design through a collaboration between the School of Arts and Design of Matosinhos | ESAD and the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto | FEUP. Her academic foundation was laid in 1998 when she obtained her degree in Design, specializing in Equipment, from the School of Arts and Design of Matosinhos | ESAD. Her professional journey has been characterized by her dedication to teaching in higher education and her work as an Industrial Designer. Maria João Félix has continuously strived to bridge the gap between academia and industry, emphasizing the importance of adapting educational programs to meet the evolving challenges and market demands within the design industry. From 2012 to 2015, she held the position of a Member of the Council for Evaluation and Quality at the Polytechnic Institute of Cávado and Ave. During this time, she actively coordinated evaluation and quality efforts, ensuring the highest standards at the School of Technology | EST and later taking on the role of Coordinator of the School of Design | ESD. Her responsibilities included overseeing self-assessment processes for undergraduate and master's degree programs, actively contributing to quality committees, and preparing comprehensive reports. Maria João Félix has held significant roles in academia, including Director of the Department of Industrial and Product Design, Director of the Undergraduate Program in Industrial Design, Director of the Master's Program in Design and Product Development, and head of the Scientific Area of Industrial Design. Her influence is evident in the restructuring of curricular programs, aligning them with the practical needs of the design industry. Her commitment to pedagogical excellence led to a public commendation (no. 1446/2011) for achieving the highest overall average among lecturers at the School of Technology of the Polytechnic Institute of Cávado and Ave, where she taught seven courses over three years. Currently, Maria João Félix holds the position of Director of the Master's Program in Design and Product Development and is actively involved in the Technical-Scientific and Pedagogical Councils of ESD_IPCA. She is also an author and reviewer for scientific publications in accredited international journals and has played a pivotal role in organizing scientific events in the field of Industrial Design. Maria João Félix embarked on her career as a designer in 2006, creating a diverse portfolio of works that have been showcased at various fairs and events. She was honored with the Mobis 2001 Prize in recognition of her significant contributions to the design industry.

Current positions

  • Professor Adjunto IPCA

PhD Details

  • Title Contributions to a Strategic Vision of Research in the Field of Design in Portugal.
  • Field Design
  • Year 2013

Research Groups

Publications

Book chapters
  • Félix, M.J., Santos, G., Simoes, R., Surrador, C. (2022). Product Design and Development Strategies: Construction of Regional Innovation Systems, for New Achievements Brought by the Academy for Industry. In: Machado, J., Soares, F., Trojanowska, J., Ivanov, V. (eds) Innovations in Industrial Engineering. icieng 2021. Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78170-5_16 Link
  • Seixas, S., Montagna, G., Félix, M.J. (2023). Where is Textile Design in Portugal?. In: Raposo, D., Neves, J., Silva, R., Correia Castilho, L., Dias, R. (eds) Advances in Design, Music and Arts II. EIMAD 2022. Springer Series in Design and Innovation , vol 25. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-09659-4_17 Link
  • Seixas, S., Montagna, G., Félix, M.J. (2023). Weaving the Skills of the Textile Designer as a Contribution to the Construction of a Textile Ecosystem of the Future. In: Broega, A.C., Cunha, J., Carvalho, H., Providência, B. (eds) Advances in Fashion and Design Research. CIMODE 2022. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-16773-7_43 Link
  • Barreira, R., Campos, S., Félix, M.J. (2023). Teacher-Generated Drawing Strategy – Green Rice Served at the Last Supper. In: Raposo, D., Neves, J., Silva, R., Correia Castilho, L., Dias, R. (eds) Advances in Design, Music and Arts II. EIMAD 2022. Springer Series in Design and Innovation , vol 25. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-09659-4_57 Link
  • Félix, M.J., Santos, G., Sá, J.C., Dias, S., Saraiva, M. (2023). Multifunctional Furniture for Tiny Houses–Design, Quality, Innovation and Sustainability in Advanced Materials. In: de Oliveira Matias, J.C., Oliveira Pimentel, C.M., Gonçalves dos Reis, J.C., Costa Martins das Dores, J.M., Santos, G. (eds) Quality Innovation and Sustainability. ICQUIS 2022. Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12914-8_24 Link
  • Seixas, S., Montagna, G., Félix, M.J. (2024). Weaving the Gap: Giving a Place to Textile Design in Portuguese Higher Education. In: Raposo, D., Neves, J., Silva, R. (eds) Perspectives on Design III. Springer Series in Design and Innovation , vol 34. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-43516-4_16 Link
  • Duarte, V., Félix, M.J., de Aboim Borges, M., Viegas, C. (2024). Participatory Design and UX Research Methods, Using Interdisciplinary Knowledge From Design, Pedagogy and Nutrition to Promote Food Literacy in Children. In: Raposo, D., Neves, J., Silva, R. (eds) Perspectives on Design III. Springer Series in Design and Innovation , vol 34. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-43516-4_8 Link
International journals
  • Félix, M.J., Santos, G., Simoes, R., Silva, J.R., 2020. Practice-based design research knowledge production for quality assurance in design. International Journal for Quality Research 14(2), pp. 647-660 Link
  • Doiro, M., Fernández, F.J., Félix, M.J., Santos, G., 2019. Machining operations for components in kitchen furniture: A comparison between two management systems. Procedia Manufacturing 41, 10-17. Link
  • Félix, M.J., Silva, S., Santos, G., Doiro, M., Sá, J.C. 2019. Integrated product and processes development in design: A case study. Procedia Manufacturing 41, 296-303 Link
  • Félix, M.J., Gonçalves, S., Jimenez, G., Santos, G., 2019. The contribution of design to the development of products and manufacturing processes in the portuguese industry. Procedia Manufacturing 41, 1055-1062 Link
International conferences
  • Félix, M. J., Ferreira, P., Santos, G., Simões, R., & Martins, J. (2019). Guiding Principles of Materials Selection for Product Designers. In D. Croccolo, J. F. Silva Gomes, & S. A. Meguid (Eds.), M2D 2019 – 8th International Conference on Mechanics and Materials in Design (pp. 191–192). Società Editrice Esculapio
  • Félix, M.J., Santos, G., Sá, J.C., Dias, S., Saraiva, M. (2023). Multifunctional Furniture for Tiny Houses–Design, Quality, Innovation and Sustainability in Advanced Materials. In: de Oliveira Matias, J.C., Oliveira Pimentel, C.M., Gonçalves dos Reis, J.C., Costa Martins das Dores, J.M., Santos, G. (eds) Quality Innovation and Sustainability, pp. 309-321. ICQUIS 2022. Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12914-8_24 Link
  • Maia, P., Felix, M. J. Santos, G., Dias, N. & Stilwell, G. (2019). Biological metaphors to construct a narrative in product design. Proceedings of M2D 2019 – Mechanical and Materials in Design. 8th International Conference, Bolonha, Itália.
  • Teixeira, Pedro, Tavares, Paula; Félix, M.J. (2011) A Representação de Personagens Virtuais: Como a Tecnologia Obriga à Criação de Estilos e Estéticas Interdisciplinares na Animação Contemporânea. In Livro de Atas AVANCA | CINEMA, Conferência Internacional Cinema, Arte,Tecnologia,Comunicação. Cine-Clube de Avanca, Portugal.
  • Tavares, Paula; Félix, M.J.; Teixeira, Pedro (2010) Hybrid Animation. The place of digital moving image culture, AVANCA | CINEMA, Conferência Internacional Cinema, Arte,Tecnologia,Comunicação. Cine-Clube de Avanca, Portugal.
  • Félix, Maria João e Tavares, Paula (2009). Contribution of Product Design Methodologies Research. In Proceedings Book 4 th International Conference on Higher Education Marketing – Universidade do Minho, Guimarães, Portugal
  • Félix, Maria João e Tavares, Paula (2009). Contribution of Product Design Methodologies Research. In Proceedings Book IDEMI 09, International Conference on Integration of Design, Engineering and Management for innovation – Universidade do Porto, Guimarães, Portugal.
  • Verónica Duarte, Maria João Félix (2018) MATERIALS SELECTION AND INNOVATION SYSTEMS IN PACKING DESIGN FOR 525 HEALTHY FOOD. IRF2018-6th International Conference on Integrity-Reliability-Failure, Lisbon-Portugal from 22 to 26 July 2018. Link
National conferences
  • FÉLIX, Maria João (2018), CONTORNOS DA INVESTIGAÇÃO EM DESIGN. 6º EIMAD – Encontro de Investigação em Música, Artes e Design da Escola Superior de Artes Aplicadas do Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco.
Other publications
  • FÉLIX, Maria João (2016) Painel de moderadores no UD18 – Encontro de Doutoramentos em Design, Universidade de Aveiro, 7ª edição, que decorreu nos dias 14 e 15 de Junho, no Complexo das Ciências de Comunicação e Imagem (Departamento de Comunicação e Arte, nº21).