Carlos Teixeira

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"Today we live in a knowledge economy," says Carlos Teixeira, an associate professor at the School of Design Strategies. According to Teixeira, a nation's most valuable commodities are no longer goods but ideas. An idea, like a manufactured item, "must undergo a process of creation, production, and development." An expert in assessing the operational and financial processes behind design practices, Teixeira brings open-ended problems to the classroom. "The question I'm always asking myself is, 'How do we educate students in design disciplines to successfully navigate a knowledge economy in ways that are socially relevant and beneficial?'"

In his signature course, Enterprising Design Knowledge, Teixeira applies new methodologies and design tools to business development, open innovation, co-creation, and brand strategy for nongovernmental organizations and major corporations in the United States, Brazil, and India. Teixeira is currently the co-director of the open innovation platform DREAM:IN, which was recognized with a 2013 Game Changer Award from Metropolis magazine.

Through experimenting, modeling, prototyping, and revising their ideas, students in Teixeira's class create new types of organizations that foster innovation. "They become design entrepreneurs and learn to think critically about contemporary social contexts," he says. "They design interventions that have a positive effect on people and their environment."