Members of the Systems Engineering Design group travelled to Cavtat, Croatia for DESIGN 2026, the 19th International Design Conference organised by The Design Society — one of the main meeting points for the engineering design research community.

The group had a strong presence, co-chairing two workshops and presenting seven papers across the conference's themes — from AI in design practice to sustainability, circularity and complexity in product development.

Workshops

  • Designing with intelligence: exploring the practical implications of AI on design practice and processes
    Chaired byOIOla Isaksson
  • Two decades of sustainable design: where are we heading and how do we get there?
    Chaired bySHSophie I. HallstedtGDGiliam Dokter

Papers

  • Implementation of sustainability in the product development process: a case study in the aerospace industry
    PLPauline L. Y. LéonardJohanna W. Nylander
  • Be yourself – be an engineer: personal strengths and value in an interconnected engineering ecosystem
    CEClaudia EckertSHSophie I. Hallstedt
  • Towards collaboration in circular ecosystems: barriers, enablers, and insights from European projects
    GDGiliam DokterSHSophie I. HallstedtXue Pei
  • Project complexity and cost escalations in the early design of railway megaprojects
    PSPer Persson SchönCEClaudia EckertAMAdam MallalieuDBDag Bergsjö
  • Understanding the growing need for design for circularity – investigating remanufacturing profitability barriers in an automotive industry case
    MHMalin Hane HagströmOIOla IsakssonDBDag BergsjöStina Lundin
  • System architecture margins for the ilities
    ABArindam BrahmaOIOla IsakssonDavid C. Wynn
  • Who drives sustainability in product design? A case study in aerospace
    PLPauline L. Y. LéonardSHSophie I. HallstedtGDGiliam Dokter

The conference offered valuable networking and new collaboration opportunities with research teams from around the world.