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Akin Kazakci

Akin Kazakci

Lecturer

Center · IHEIE

Keywords

Awards & distinctions

  • 2014 Outstanding Paper Award at the "Design 2014" Conference

Team

IHEIE

Biography

Akin Kazakci is a researcher in design science and innovation, whose work lies at the intersection of theories of design, creativity, and decision-making processes. His research explores the mechanisms behind the generation of innovative ideas, particularly in complex contexts such as the design of visionary products, the development of public policy, and the integration of emerging technologies (such as artificial intelligence and additive manufacturing). He is particularly interested in collective dynamics and methods for reconciling originality and feasibility, drawing on theoretical frameworks such as C-K (Concept-Knowledge) theory and design thinking approaches. His contributions include empirical analyses of idea networks, cognitive biases (such as the fixation effect), and digital tools tailored to design professions, as well as proposals for formalizing creative processes in various fields, ranging from data science to the design of road safety systems.

Publication(s)

  • 2024
    CRAFTING FUTURE INNOVATIONS: THE NETWORK STRUCTURE OF IDEAS FOR VISIONARY PRODUCT CONCEPTS DOI : 10.5465/amd.2023.0120
  • 2019
    Design Theory for Generating Alternatives in Public Decision Making Processes DOI : 10.1007/s10726-018-09610-5
  • 2018
    Uncovering the specificities of cad tools for industrial design with design theory – style models for generic singularity DOI : 10.1080/21650349.2016.1190301
  • 2018
    Crowd-based data-driven hypothesis generation from data and the organisation of participative scientific process DOI : 10.21278/idc.2018.0510
  • 2017
    De novo drug design with deep generative models: An empirical study
  • 2017
    Performance monitoring & control for an additive manufacturing factory - A case study in the aerospace industry
  • 2017
    Out-of-class novelty generation: An experimental foundation
  • 2017
    Out-of-class novelty generation : an experimental foundation DOI : 10.1109/ICTAI.2017.00197
  • 2016
    The network structure of ideas and the evolutionary synthesis of breakthrough product concepts DOI : 10.5465/AMBPP.2016.179
  • 2016
    Digits that are not: Generating new types through deep neural nets
  • 2015
    Data science as a new frontier for design
  • 2015
    Brainstorming vs. Creative Design Reasoning: A Theory-Driven Experimental Investigation of Novelty, Feasibility and Value of Ideas DOI : 10.1007/978-3-319-14956-1_10
  • 2014
    Conceptive artificial intelligence: Insights from design theory
  • 2014
    The impact of type of examples on originality: Explaining fixation and stimulation effects DOI : 10.1002/jocb.37
  • 2013
    A paradigm change inroad safety evaluation: From hypothetico-deductive testing to designingsafety systems
  • 2013
    On the imaginative constructivist nature of design: A theoretical approach DOI : 10.1007/s00163-012-0150-0
  • 2013
    Lack of integration between engineering industrial design processes: An analysis based on the historical evolution of professions and tools
  • 2013
    Beyond models and decisions: Situating design through generative functions
  • 2012
    The generation of common purpose in innovation partnerships: A design perspective DOI : 10.1108/14601061211243684
  • 2012
    On the use of design theories to support innovation and organizational processes
  • 2012
    A design assistant architecture based on design tableaux
  • 2011
    A method for design reasoning using logic: From Semantic Tableaux to Design Tableaux
  • 2011
    The impact of examples on creative design: Explaining fixation and stimulation effects
  • 2010
    Simulation of design reasoning based on C-K theory: A model and an example application
  • 2010
    A formal account of the dual extension of knowledge and concept in C-K design theory
  • 2009
    Is "creative subject" of Brouwer a designer? - An analysis of Intuitionist Mathematics from the viewpoint of C-K design theory
  • 2008
    A model of CK design theory based on term logic: A formal CK background for a class of design assistants
  • 2007
    Energy crop supply in France: A min-max regret approach DOI : 10.1057/palgrave.jors.2602284
  • 2005
    Designar, an intelligent design assistant based on C-K design theory DOI : 10.1115/detc2005-85208
  • 2005
    Extending the C-K design theory: A theoretical background for personal design assistants DOI : 10.1080/09544820500131300

Teaching

Design Engineering (DE) Option

Guest Lecturer

National and International Context The program collaborates with leading international academic institutions in its field (Chalmers, Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, Imperial College, RWTH Aachen, Delft, etc.) and with France’s top design schools (Strate College, École Nationale Supérieure de Création Industrielle, ENSAD). Compared to the curricula of these leading international scientific institutions, the program allows students to combine courses in “Engineering Design,” “Project Management,” “Innovation Management,” and “Industrial Design” in a unique way. Career Prospects and Opportunities Graduates of this track go on to work in a wide variety of sectors (automotive, aerospace, high tech, luxury goods, services, innovation or intellectual property consulting, healthcare, energy, retail, etc.), including the creative industries. With the expansion of innovation departments in many large corporations, several students have quickly risen to high-level innovation leadership roles (Schneider, Thales, RATP, SNCF, Urgo, Airbus, etc.). Some representative elective topics covered in recent years: The elective project runs from October through June. Topics are carefully selected from a wide range of sectors. They fall into two main categories: • Type 1: Students participate in the development of a range of new products or systems and implement new design approaches. Some examples: Seb / startup incubator: development of devices to combat mosquitoes and vector-borne diseases Soft@Home / Orange: leveraging data from home internet routers Urgo Médical: development of connected devices in healthcare Decathlon: the “freshness” of sportswear: methodology for exploring and structuring a new value proposition. • Type 2: Students participate in the development of design methods. Some examples: Airbus: methodology to support cross-sector technology transfer; innovation support tool for the “design-oriented factory” Thales Avionics: From Operational Need to Innovative Design: The Case of Helmet-Mounted Displays for Helicopter Pilots. SNCF / Zeebra (startup): Development of digital tools and services for coordinating innovation experts within the company. Throughout this work, students receive significant support from the course’s faculty. This is a key educational experience during which students can consolidate their knowledge and gain initial professional experience on a topic that addresses real-world business challenges.

PhD supervision

  • 2025 Large language models for sequential decision-making ATTIA EL HILI Youssef
  • 2022 Intelligent agents for offline reinforcement learning with reduced interactions GAIZI Othman
  • 2015 Piloting the performance of citizen science projects in a context of transformation in the relationship with scientific data: systematization and loss of production SITRUK Yohann
  • 2015 Digital transformation in industrial SMEs - Innovative design of future production systems JUDALET Nicolas