Design Thinking

Imagine Membrane | Azores 14-19 September

From Research to Product: An Ideation Lab for PhD Innovators

Welcome to the “Imagine Membranes” Ideation Lab!

In this session, we’ll explore how scientific research can inspire real-world products, services, or solutions. As PhD researchers, you are generating knowledge with the power to shape the future, but how might your research become something people use, experience, or benefit from?

Working in small teams, you’ll go through an accelerated ideation process:

You’ll identify a research idea and reframe it as a product challenge.
You’ll collaborate with ChatGPT to expand and refine your thinking.
You’ll use a canvas to map your vision.
Finally, you’ll join a gallery walk to share your ideas and give and receive feedback from peers and senior researchers.

The session is not about finding the perfect solution; it’s about using Design Thinking to explore new possibilities and pathways for impact. Through creativity, collaboration, and user-centered exploration, we’ll reflect on how scientific research can evolve into meaningful applications when we connect ideas with real-world needs.

Guilherme Martins Victorino is Associate Dean for Value Creation and a faculty member at NOVA Information Management School (NOVA IMS), where he teaches Innovation, Change Management, and Knowledge Management. He coordinates the Postgraduate Program in Information Management and Business Intelligence in Healthcare and leads the Design Thinking course at the NOVA Doctoral School, supporting PhD students in disruptive innovation processes.

He holds a PhD in Information Management from Universidade Nova de Lisboa and a Master’s degree in Behavioural Science from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

Guilherme is also Director of the NOVA Innovation & Analytics Lab, where he leads multidisciplinary teams on innovation projects with public and private sector partners. With over 15 years of executive experience in healthcare, media, and telecommunications—including leadership roles at SAMS, Lusíadas Saúde, and the Ministry of Health—he brings a systems-thinking and human-centered approach to complex organizational challenges.

Certified in Design Thinking and Change Management, he has facilitated over a hundred workshops and research initiatives across Europe, the U.S., Brazil, the UAE, and Australia. He is the author of the book Design Thinking: da inspiração à inovação, and a frequent speaker at international conferences on innovation, digital transformation, and health systems.