Lecturer, Design
Verena Paepcke-Hjeltness, IDSA is a Visual Strategist and Associate Professor of Industrial Design. She has held the position of Education Director and Board Member at the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) since 2020. She has worked both in Germany and the U.S. as an industrial designer with a focus on aviation and transportation design. Paepcke-Hjeltness has held industrial design faculty positions at The University of Texas at Austin, Drexel University, Iowa State University, and Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).
Paepcke-Hjeltness' research focuses on the diffusion of design thinking and doing practices in design and non-design-oriented disciplines, with an emphasis on exploring visual notetaking as a gateway to learning, retention, and comprehension, as well as sketch and creative confidence. She frequently plans and facilitates workshops on sketchnoting, design thinking and strategic planning in both academia and industry.