Dr. Niels Hendriks, Associate Professor

Niels is the research coordinator of the research unit Inter-Actions, the research cluster on ‘Design, Care, empathy and well-being’ and also a design researcher and lecturer at the LUCA School of Arts. In his research work, he mainly zooms in on how people with high support needs and little means of communication can be involved in design research (mainly people with dementia). Next to a participatory approach, his work takes on a systemic view: how does an artefact and those ‘using’ the artefact influence each other and how will this change the care ‘system’ as a whole.

Niels is also the co-founder of the Dementia Lab which clusters research and educational activities and the name of a conference on dementia and design (fifth installment in 2021, proceedings published at Springer). He is a reviewer for numerous journals and conferences and has been on the program committee and organising committee of the Participatory Design Conference. He has been active mainly in Belgium, but has been working in Hong Kong and Denmark as well.

Dr. Andrea Wilkinson, Post-Doc Researcher

Andrea is a post-doctoral researcher at the LUCA School of Arts and is a lecturer in the Masters of Design and Art Education programme and researcher in the Inter-Actions Research Group. She also lectures and researches at Thomas More University of Applied Sciences in the Postgraduate Space and Service Design programme. A designer, researcher and lecturer in design, her expertise domains are interaction design, visual language communication, service design and design education. In her research, she mainly focuses on design equity and how empathy emerges within the designer through interaction and participation with ‘design-poor’ individuals (people with dementia, young people with autism, people with a disability, people on the fringes of society, etc). This relation-based design participation between designer and participant and necessary proxy participants informs design decisions (products, services, functionality) as well as the designer’s future creative practice.

In 2016, together with Dr. Hendriks, she co-founded the Dementia Lab Conference. A native of the US, but based in Belgium since 2010, Andrea is active mainly in Belgium, but has also worked in New Zealand, Australia, the Netherlands, Germany, the UK, Portugal and India in workshops and educational exchanges.

Lieke Lenaerts, Designer-Researcher

Lieke is a Belgian designer. In 2018 she graduated as Master of Arts in Product Design. During her studies Lieke discovered the power of design to communicate to the public. Her work is characterized by this layer of communication. This informs a wide variety of topics from the complexity of the human mind, to the relationship between crafts and local heritage.

Lieke’s work has been exhibited internationally, with an ongoing focus on the communicative aspects of design. Thorough research is the heart of her work. In combination with her own personal view, Lieke dissects a theme and translates it into a visual design language. Objects are used as active agents to inform users about a certain topic. This research-based working method results in functional and experimental designs, balancing between the object and the experience.

In 2019 Lieke started a position as designer-researcher at the Inter-Actions Research Unit, Caring. And Design Research Group, based at LUCA School of Arts Genk. As a designer-researcher she’s involved in projects focusing on design for people with dementia. In 2020, Lieke began a PhD at LUCA in which she’s researching ways to turn participative design experiences with people living with dementia into accessible design processes, tools and artefacts for other designers.

Amber De Coen, Designer-Researcher

Amber is a graphic and service designer with a passion for participatory and social design. In 2020 she graduated as Master in Arts with a participatory design project aiming to understand, communicate and visualize loneliness in young adults. In 2021 she completed her Postgraduate degree in Space and Service design at Thomas More University. As a designer Amber aims to facilitate others in their understanding and interpreting of their social and personal world contexts by positioning herself on the crossroad between passive observation and active participation. Her practice focuses on vulnerable or marginalized groups in our society and aims to use visual language as a tool to facilitate understanding, connection, and translation between these groups and their (societal) contexts.

In 2021 Amber started a PhD project within the Inter-Actions Research Unit based at LUCA School of Arts Genk. During this project she’s researching how design can aid the understanding, accessing, recording, and integration of identity in care contexts for persons with high support needs who cannot speak for themselves (people with dementia or people with profound multiple intellectual disabilities).

Yoni Lefevre, Designer-Researcher

Yoni Lefévre is a Design Researcher with a particular interest in participatory approaches. She is passionate about inclusive and holistic futures, especially when it involves our ageing society. Yoni graduated from Design Academy Eindhoven (2013) within Communication Design and she completed the Masters of Research at The Glasgow School of Art (2019). Her final thesis focussed on the stigma of ageing through creative intergenerational engagements. She worked as a Senior Design Researcher at STBY where she contributed to innovative and transformational processes for International clients. Within Academia, Yoni worked as a Research Associate at the Innovation School, The Glasgow School of Art in Forres and was involved in multiple research projects about the integration of Health and Social Care in Moray. In addition, she participated in several Artists in Residence programmes where she is able to adapt and emerge herself easily in the local research contexts.

In 2022, she joined the Inter-Actions Research Unit based at LUCA School of Arts in Genk, to start her PhD project. Her research is focussing on intimacy, and sexual expression among individuals of advanced age with high support needs. The research will provide insights and tools on how intimacy and sexual expression in person-centered care can be discussed and strategies for implementation.

Szu-Ying (Rising) Lai, Designer-Researcher

Rising Lai is an industrial designer from Taiwan, concentrating on universal design and inclusivity for several years. In 2019 Rising graduated with a Bachelor of Industrial Design from Tatung University, Taiwan, and in 2022 she completed a Master of Industrial Design at the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, Netherlands. Rising is experienced in design research and product development, mixed with artistic and experimental expression. Along with her multicultural and international background, Rising’s design practice intends to stimulate discussion, make positive social impacts, and work closely with the education and public sectors. Her choice of media include but are not limited to products, tools, crafts, and installations.

In 2023, Rising starts her PhD project at the Inter-Actions Research Unit based at LUCA School of Arts in Genk. Her research aims to research and design products and services to support mediating shared decision-making communication throughout the dementia journey.

Annelien Hofmans, Designer-Researcher

Annelien is a designer and visual artist who sees her design practices as easy ways to communicate clearly, create awareness and tap into people's ability to connect. She’s dedicated to creating strong yet playful concepts and has a deep interest in artistic projects that tackle societal issues in the long run.

After graduating her BA/MA in Communication Studies at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (2013), Annelien continued her studies with a BA/MA in Graphic Design and Media & Information Design at LUCA School of Arts, Brussels (2017). Throughout her practice, she developed a profound fascination with the way individuals relate to their selves: a commonality we all share yet sets us apart.

November 2023, she joined the ‘Inter-Actions’ Research Unit to work towards a PhD in the Arts. Her doctoral research focuses on the potential of participatory, multisensory and arts-based methods as well as creative analytical practices to gain more insight into the lived experiences of people with dementia and their informal caregivers. The aim is to find out how it is possible to set up interventions that contribute positively to their well-being, vision on the self and personhood. This way, she wants to empower persons with dementia and their loved ones to cope with the challenges posed by this condition and change stigmatizing perceptions to prevent a decline in their well-being and delayed care.

Britt Pellens, HOMEDEM Project Manager and Design Researcher

Britt is a social designer who is passionate about the involvement of minority groups during a creative design process. Her biggest drive is realising projects in co-creation with the end-users. Britt is dedicated to designing for groups struggling to find solutions that meet their needs, be it people with dementia or with mental or physical challenges, etc.

Her affinity for designing services, architectural solutions and urban interventions is translated into understandable visuals and prototypes. By combining different scales that complement each other, Britt offers multi-layered design solutions, based on thorough research. 

After graduating as an architect at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp (2019) Britt continued her studies with a Master in Urbanism and Spatial Planning (2021). Her MA thesis focused on participatory design principles (such as urban tactics) and their usage in social housing neighborhoods during complex urban planning projects. In 2022 she completed the Postgraduate Degree in Space and Service design at Thomas More University of Applied Sciences. Her design for inclusive tourism for people with intellectual disabilities was nominated for the New European Bauhaus prices 2022 in the category ‘rising star’.  

The end of 2022, Britt joined the Inter-Actions research team at LUCA School of Arts in Genk. She will be responsible for the management support of the HOMEDEM project, a European Doctoral Training Network in design and dementia caregiving. Next to this, she will conduct her own research at the Inter-Actions Research Unit.

Reine Pinxten, Design Researcher

Reine is a Belgian product designer with expertise in both design and health sciences. After a year of studying physiotherapy, Reine transitioned into the design field, completing a Master’s in Product Design at LUCA School of Arts in 2024. This blend of knowledge fuels her passion for creating products that focus on health and well-being.

Her graduation project focused on developing products for migraine management, demonstrating how design can contribute to alleviating discomfort for individuals with this condition. Reine thrives in multidisciplinary environments, bringing together insights from various fields to drive thoughtful research and creative solutions. She believes that well-designed products have the potential to significantly enhance both physical and mental wellbeing, shaping a healthier future.

Dolores Van den Eynde, Associated Project Development Manager

Dolores is a social scientist intrigued by the international and international organisations. Throughout her entire academic career, she held the added value of collaborating with people from different backgrounds -be it national, cultural, or educational- in the highest regard. In 2021 she graduated as Master in Communication Studies: New Media and Society in Europe. Throughout her study, she discovered the importance of media literacy and digital inclusion and conducted a master thesis considering the youngest smartphone users and their needs in the digital world. In 2022 Dolores graduated again, this time as Master in International Relations and Diplomacy. Here, her focus was put on studying the Middle East as well as the Asia-Pacific. This was also translated in her master thesis about the prominence and politicisation of historical memory in the contemporary South Korean political landscape. 

In 2022-24 Dolores worked at the LUCA School of Arts Genk as a project development manager in the subject area Care. Here, she was the team lead for writing of European research funding and various Erasmus initiatives proposals.

Rita Maldonado Branco, Associated Researcher

Rita Maldonado Branco is a communication designer, and a design researcher. She is an integrated member of the Research Institute for Design Media and Culture (ID+), on the research group Health+Design Lab.

Rita graduated with distinction in the MA Communication Design (2012) from Central Saint Martins University of the Arts London, with a project that explored communication design contributions to dementia, including the design of information, the creation of empathy objects, and the development of tools for interaction between people with dementia and others, based on her experience with two grandparents diagnosed with dementia. This research was taken forward through her PhD in Design (2018), at the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Porto in partnership with the University of Aveiro and ID+.

Her practice-based doctoral research focused on designing ways to support the maintenance of social relationships and communication between people with dementia and their families, while involving them as participants in the design process. As a communication designer, her professional practice revolved primarily around editorial, information and science communication.