Harald Gruendl
Mag. art. Dr. phil. habil., Founder & Chairman
Harald Gruendl was born in 1967. He finished his habilitation in Theory and History of Design at the University of Applied Arts Vienna in 2009 and is the founder of the Institute of Design Research Vienna, which he built up in 2008. At the same time, he works as a designer for the renowned Viennese design studio EOOS, where he leads the Basic Research department and is one of the three managing partners. He teaches design theory as well as design practice and stands for bridging disciplines. Harald published two books to date, "The Death of Fashion. The Passage Rite of Fashion in the Show Window" in 2007, and "The Cooked Kitchen. A Poetical Analysis" in 2008.
Ulrike Haele
Mag. art. Mag. phil., Research Associate
Ulrike Haele was born in 1972. She studied Communication Science and Political Science at the University of Vienna and has a degree in Industrial Design from the University of Applied Arts Vienna. From 2000 to 2006 she was head of communications at the Architekturzentrum Wien, and from 2004 to 2006 lecturer at the FH Wien University of Applied Sciences for "Product- and Service-Design as USP". Besides, she published articles in numerous renowned magazines in the fields of design and architecture like A10, Architektur & Bauforum, City or Zuschnitt.
Martina Mara
Mag. phil., Research & Project Coordination
Martina Mara was born in 1981. She studied Journalism and Communication Science at the University of Vienna. Since 2001, she has worked for various print & broadcast media outlets, which earned her a place among "The Best 30 Under 30," The Austrian Journalist Magazine’s 2007 list of outstanding young journalists. Since 2008, she has been a freelance writer and researcher in the fields of emerging technologies and design. In 2009, she published "Narcissus in Cyberspace. On the Construction of Digital Self-Images at the studiVZ Social Network Site."