Dr. Prisca Valentino holds a Doctor of Business Administration in International Management (2025), awarded through a collaborative programme between Silpakorn University, Bangkok, and the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. Her research sits at the interdisciplinary intersection of international entrepreneurship and design, with a particular focus on entrepreneurial design and action as a driver of transformation. Widely regarded as an expert in this field, she bridges theory and practice in applying design research approaches to organisational change, transformation, and policy-making. 

Research 

Her research explores the role of design and management in innovation and transformation processes, grounded in an expanded concept of innovation that encompasses technological, social, and organisational dimensions equally. She bridges practice and theory through participatory stakeholder processes and a consistent user-centric approach, treating effective innovation as an interdisciplinary endeavour that integrates design, management, and entrepreneurial thinking and action. Her work is structured around four interconnected research areas: 

1.     Design Science in Entrepreneurship 

Grounded in Saras Sarasvathy's conception of entrepreneurship as a science of the artificial and method, investigating how human agency and purposeful action create new possibilities in an open-ended, uncertain future — drawing on the foundational thinking of Herbert A. Simon, Julian L. Simon, Donald Davidson, and Friedrich August von Hayek. 

2.     Contextual Adaptation of Design Methodologies 

This research analyses and advances methodologies such as Effectuation to adapt design and innovation approaches across diverse organisational types, target groups, and cultural contexts. 

3.     Transformation through Participation and Transdisciplinarity
Investigating participatory and co-creative formats that foster innovation-friendly cultures and actively engage stakeholders across business, politics, academia, and civil society.

4.     Systemic Thinking and Design as a Methodology 

Investigation of systemic design methodologies that enable organisations to conceptualise global challenges — including climate change, population growth, environmental degradation, and resource consumption — as interdependent systems, informing strategies for resilience-building and sustainable transformation. 

Beyond her research, Dr. Valentino brings extensive professional experience in HR management across architecture and civil engineering design — sectors in which design thinking and organisational transformation intersect in practice — complemented by a strong commitment to design management, design research, and future studies at universities of applied sciences in Switzerland and across Eurasia. She serves on the editorial board of the Asia-Pacific Journal of Management Research and Innovation and is an active member of both the DBA Association Switzerland and the Society for Effectual Action. As a consultant and thesis supervisor at Master's, Executive Master's, and DBA level, as well as the integration of artificial intelligence into knowledge management frameworks for teaching and learning, she prioritises interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary projects that address the pressing challenges shaping organisations and society.