About

I’m a multi-disciplinary designer with a double master’s (MSc + MA) in Innovation Design Engineering from Imperial College London and the Royal College of Art. I have practical experience in material innovation start-ups, both in creating viable design proposals, managing product development and scientific research, fundraising and pitching, and finding commercialization opportunities.

My background extends across design engineering, architecture, and product design. My work focuses on sustainable practices for society and the environment. I believe in innovation fostered through interdisciplinary collaboration between scientists, researchers, and designers, as this brings forth fruitful ideas to benefit

Please feel free to contact me for collaboration or chat, resume or portfolio.

Education

• MSc Innovation Design Engineering – Imperial College London

• MA Innovation Design Engineering – Royal College of Art

• BDes Architecture – University of Minnesota

Exhibitions

• Dutch Design Week, KAIKU, 2019

• Dutch Design Week, cellul-air, 2019

• Biodesign Here Now, Open Cell, London, 2019

• London Design Festival, 2019

• The Great Exhibition Road Festival, Imperial College London, 2019

• SynbiTECH, London, 2019

• Royal College of Art Graduate Show, 2019

• Science Evening, Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, 2019

• Royal College of Art Work In Progress Show, 2019

Press + Interviews

• Lampoon Magazine. 03.2021. “Plant waste used for the extraction of colors.”

• Fast Company. 09.2019. “Fabric dyes are a toxic problem. These beautiful alternative colors are made out of food waste.”

• Dezeen. 09.2019. “Kaiku turns fruit and vegetable waste into natural pigments.”

• Evening Standard. 02.2019. “Tube pollution: Could bacteria create clean air on the London Underground?”

• Gizmodo. “Ingenious Student Project Uses Bacteria to Clean Filthy Underground Air.”

• WOHN!DESIGN. Vol 1 Jan/Feb 2020. Pg 67. “Farbe aus pflanzenabfällen gewinnen, geht das? Das geht! Bitte lesen sie weiter.” 

• Arquitectura y Diseño. 01.2020. “¿Pigmentos hechos con fruta? Así es la pintura eco favorita de los usuarios responsables.”

• Ursula. Issue 5 Winter 2019. Pg 118. “Nicole Stjernswärd’s colorful mission to make pigments good for the planet.”

• More or Less. Vol 3 2019. Pg 44. “Living Colour.”

• The Future Laboratory. 09.2019. “Need to Know 13:09:19 .”

• NU.nl. 10.2019. “Duurzame oplossing: Kleurstof maken van avocado en ui.”

• Architectural Digest India. 09.2019. “Finally! A sustainable way to make pigments and dyes.”

• ICON. 07.2019. “Royal College of Art graduates offer creative takes on modern challenges.”

• Imperial College London. 09.2019. “Imperial student uses plant waste to create sustainable alternative to dye.”

• Design Anthology UK. 09.2019. “LDF Preview 2019.”

• KI Europe Ltd, 08.2019.

• Royal College of Art, 02.2019.

• The Royal Commission of 1851, 02.2019.

Awards

• The KI Award, Krueger International, 2019

• Nominee, Helen Hamlyn Design Awards, 2019

• Semi-Finalist, Environment Award, Mayor's Entrepreneur, 2019

• ARCC / King Student Medal for Excellence in Architectural + Environmental Design Research, 2016