Nina Valkanova, PhD

Nina Valkanova, PhD has a wealth of experience in the field of design and research. Nina began their career in 2005 as a Creative Engineer at Ars Electronica Futurelab. In 2008, they became a Creative Engineer at the Synthetic, Perceptive, Emotive, and Cognitive Systems Group (SPECS). From 2009 to 2011, they held the role of Interaction Designer at Fundacio Barcelona Media and Visiting Lecturer at ELISAVA Escola Universitària de Disseny i Enginyeria de Barcelona. In 2009, they joined Universitat Pompeu Fabra as an Interaction Designer and Researcher, where they were in charge of conducting state-funded research on the application of citizen-driven data visualization. Nina was also an Associate Lecturer, co-designing and conducting several studio-based courses aimed to transmit interdisciplinary skills in creativity, interaction design and new media for computer engineering students. In 2011, they were a Visiting Lecturer at Universidad Católica de Córdoba. From 2012 to 2014, they were the Lead Interaction Designer and Researcher at T-Labs, Telekom Innovation Laboratories. From 2017 to 2019, they were the Design Lead at IXDS (now part of PwC). Currently, they are the Design Director and Global Lead UX Design & Strategy at MING Labs.

Nina Valkanova, PhD, began their educational journey in 1995 when they attended Plovdiv Language School (EDS) and earned their High-school Degree in Languages, Mathematics in 2000. Nina then attended Technische Universität Darmstadt, where they earned their Bachelor's degree in Mathematics and Computer Science in 2004, followed by a Master's degree in Mathematics and Computer Science and a Master of Science - MS in Computer Graphics in 2006. In 2009, they attended Universitat Pompeu Fabra and earned their Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Human Computer Interaction, Interaction Design in 2014. In 2017, they attended the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design and earned a Master Class in Designing Impactful Digital Experiences - Certified. In 2019, they attended the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design and earned a Master Class in Future Casting (Foresight and Speculative Design) - Certified. In 2020, they attended the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design and earned a Master Class in Designing Ethical Futures (Certified).