Ulrike Silz is a research associate at the BurgLabs – platforms for exploring the matter of tomorrow – at Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle. Her work focuses on coordination and strategic development: combining a research-driven design approach with transdisciplinary methods, she steers processes and projects at the intersection of design, research, and university development. As an industrial designer and transformation manager, she contributes to the development of future-oriented structures in higher education.

She has worked on research projects at institutions such as Fraunhofer Center for Responsible Research and Innovation, the Protestant University of Applied Sciences Berlin, and University of Art and Design Halle – with a focus on social innovation, urban transformation, and participatory knowledge production. In addition to scientific analysis, her practice includes workshop concepts, method development, funding coordination, and public engagement.

Her academic background includes two master’s degrees: in Industrial Design from the University of Art and Design Halle and in Urban Futures from the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam. International study and research stays have taken her to HDK-Valand – Academy of Art and Design at the University of Gothenburg and to the University of Applied Sciences in Lahti. Her publications and contributions have been developed in collaboration with institutions such as the German Environment Agency (UBA), the Hans Sauer Foundation, Fraunhofer Center for Responsible Research and Innovation, and University of Art and Design Halle.