2026 Leadership Forum on Translational Knowledge

Jonathan Chapman is Professor and Head of the School of Design at Carnegie Mellon University. He previously served as Director of Doctoral Studies, leading the world's first PhD in Transition Design, and has guided more than thirty doctoral researchers to completion. He is the author of five books on design, human experience, and sustainability, including Emotionally Durable Design (2005), which originated the concept of the same name, and Meaningful Stuff: Design that Lasts (MIT Press, 2021). As an advisor, he has worked with organizations including Chanel, Ford, Philips, NASA, the United Nations, and the UK House of Lords to accelerate the transition to a circular economy. At 38, he became the youngest person in the UK to achieve the rank of Full Professor in Design.

Anna Potapova is the Head of User Research and Multilingual Content Design at AliExpress, an international e-commerce platform. She built the research function from scratch, coached her team in developing AI-powered research tools, and integrated research into business pipelines. Her team has delivered hundreds of research projects that have shaped design and product solutions serving millions of shoppers worldwide. When she’s offline, you’ll find her struggling through French verb conjugations, laughing at cult classic films with friends, or training for her next open-water swimming competition.

Prof. Lingyun Sun is a Qiushi Distinguished Professor at Zhejiang University, China, serving as Vice Dean of the College of Artificial Intelligence and Dean of the International Design Institute. He also serves as the Executive Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Design and Artificial Intelligence. His research focuses on generative AI, intelligent design, and human-computer interaction. He has led multiple national key R&D projects in industrial software, and his pioneering work on intelligent design methods has received prestigious accolades including the WAIC Supreme Award (SAIL Award).

Andrea Siodmok OBE is Dean of the School of Design at RMIT University, Visiting Professor at Northumbria University, and Governor of the Glasgow School of Art. An industrial designer by training, Andrea is an internationally recognised leader in design, innovation, policy, and systems change, whose work spans technology, economics, government, and futures thinking.
Widely regarded as one of the UK's foremost design thinkers and among the world's most influential public sector innovators, Andrea has held senior leadership positions across government, academia, industry, and the not-for-profit sector. Before joining RMIT, she served as Chief Impact Officer at the Royal Society for Arts (RSA), leading its ambitious 100-year "Design for Life" strategy. She previously held leadership roles at Connected Places Catapult and the UK Design Council, where she co-developed the globally renowned Double Diamond design methodology. Andrea gained international prominence through founding the UK Government's Cabinet Office Policy Innovation Unit, bringing design, digital, and data science approaches into public policy. Over her career she has advised governments, businesses, universities, and international organisations, including the United Nations, and has delivered keynote presentations across five continents. Her contributions have been recognised through numerous honours, including an OBE for public service, the RSA Bicentenary Medal, and an honorary doctorate from Northumbria University. She continues to champion the role of design in addressing complex societal challenges and shaping more sustainable, equitable futures.  

James Hwang is Research Fellow and Future Concept Director at LG Electronics, where he leads future experience strategy within the company's CX Center. Over more than 22 years at LG, he has worked across product design, user research, trend research, design strategy, and user experience design. Over the past decade he has led LG's future mobility research, developing concept vehicles with global automotive OEMs and presenting them at international motor shows and CES, including Alpha-able, unveiled at CES 2024 around the idea of a vehicle as a space where anything is possible. Today his work spans AI data centers, future mobility, and physical AI, along with a generative AI–driven process for visualising future customer experiences for global business partners. Throughout, he focuses on turning research and emerging technology into concepts that businesses and people can see, understand, and act on.  

Emily Ong is a strategic leader in public policy, creative strategy and social impact, with decades of experience shaping national policies across Singapore’s arts, media, design, infocomm and disability inclusion sectors. After beginning her career in advertising and media, she joined the Singapore Public Service and spearheaded major initiatives and national masterplans, including the Arts & Culture Strategic Plan, Infocomm Media 2025, and Design 2025, working across government, industry, and academia to drive sectoral transformation. Most recently, Emily served as Senior Director (Employment & Lifelong Learning) at SG Enable, advancing employment pathways, lifelong learning opportunities, and inclusive design innovations that empower persons with disabilities and caregivers. Her work focuses on building systems, partnerships, and environments that enable equitable participation. Emily holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the National University of Singapore, an MBA from the University of Western Australia, and a Master of Design (Design Strategies) with Distinction from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). Emily is currently pursuing her Doctor of Design at PolyU.