Short bio

Nitzan Cohen is a product designer, art director and educator.

Cohen, a professor of product design and Dean of the Faculty of Design and Art at Free University of Bolzano, founded the ‘Design Friction Lab’ - Multidisciplinary Research Lab, and Design Studio at the intersection between science and the industry, of reality, vision and innovative solutions, defying market expectations and inducing reflexivity. Cohen's work aim to inspires designers, researchers and industry to push boundaries and explore new possibilities, leading to a more sustainable and equitable future. Cohen won several international design awards, and his work is part of the most renowned design collections worldwide. 

Main Research Areas

Through the exploration of speculative scenarios and a critical design approach, visions and products are prototyped while always striving to meet real-world needs with a glocal perspective and embeding aesthetics into ethics.

Together with the DFL Cohen is currently active in the fields of growing materials, the future of open-source production and sustainable Nanoelectronics.