Integrating Design in Governance and Management Creative Approaches for the Future

Andreas Metzner-Szigeth is Full Professor of Sociology at the Free University of Bolzano, Italy. He previously held professorships in Sustainability Science (Bochum, Germany), Philosophy (Vienna, Austria; Katowice, Poland), and Science, Technology and Society Studies (Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain), and served as Adjunct Professor of Sociology in Münster, Germany. He began his academic career as Assistant Professor of Environmental Sociology and Philosophy of Technology at the Brandenburg University of Technology in Cottbus. His research addresses industrial innovation and technology assessment, sustainability transitions and digital transformation, risk research and futures studies. A core focus of his work lies in examining the interplay between scientific expertise, economic actors, political decision making, and public engagement.

Ingrid Kofler is Associate Professor of Sociology of Culture and Communication at the Faculty of Design and Art at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano (unibz). Her research focuses on the intersection of design, sociology, borders and digital transformation, exploring topics such as the role of design in societal change, borders and imaginaries and the impact of digital technologies on creative industries.

Harald Pechlaner is Director of the Center for Advanced Studies at Eurac Research in Bolzano and a Professor of Tourism at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, where he also serves as Director of the Entrepreneurship Center. His research focuses on the sustainable development of destinations and on selected issues of global governance related to economy and politics.

Greta Erschbamer has worked at the Center for Advanced Studies of Eurac Research, where she has been a researcher since 2016 and contributed to projects exploring tourism governance, participation, and design studies in mountain regions. She holds a Master's Degree in Strategic Tourism Management from SKEMA Business School in France and a Master of Science in Tourism and Regional Planning from the Catholic University Eichstätt-Ingolstadt.