John Martinson Honors College Hosts Fulbright Chair, Distinguished Scholar from Brazil

John Martinson Honors College is hosting Dr. Gustavo Borba, a distinguished scholar from Brazil as Fulbright Chair for Interdisciplinary Studies for academic year 2022-23. Borba is a professor and Dean of the Creative Economy School at Unisinos in Porto Alegre, Brazil. His training is in electrical engineering, production engineering, and strategic design, holding a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in these areas. Borba’s teaching interests lie in design and innovation, design and possible futures, and design for social innovation.

John Martinson Honors College, in partnership with a different department or school at Purdue each year, will host a distinguished scholar from Brazil for the next four years. These scholars will conduct research and teach as a Fulbright Chair for Interdisciplinary Studies.

“For me, it is an honor to be part of the Purdue community,” says Borba. “Purdue is one of the most prestigious universities in the U.S., and I can say that it is because of the amazing people that work and study here. I'm having a great time learning, teaching, and developing new projects."

Borba is teaching HONR 39900 “Designing a Sustainable Future” this semester in the honors college while also presenting guest lectures to faculty and students in other areas around campus.

Borba’s research emphasizes the use of design to improve classroom management and increase student engagement. He works with design and education using the strategic design process in research focused on curriculum, learning spaces, and teachers' competencies. His most recent work focuses on Gen Z’s learning and interaction preferences. 

Borba has published four books, 16 chapters, and 20 scientific papers. In addition, he was a TEDx speaker at three events in Brazil and was a TEDx Ambassador for Brazil from 2014 to 2017. Borba has served as a visiting scholar at universities in North America and Asia, including Boston College in 2012, SKKU Summer School in South Korea in 2013, and at the School of Education at the University of Ottawa in 2019.

We are pleased to welcome Dr. Gustavo Borba this academic year.

Writer: Leslie Valiant lvaliant@purdue.edu