Xue Pei, PhD in Design and Assistant Professor at the Department of Design, Politecnico di Milano, where she is a member of the Design+Strategies research group. She previously served as part of the Department’s Research Delegation and has been a visiting researcher at both Delft University of Technology and Chalmers University of Technology. Her research explores the strategic role of design and design thinking in driving innovation within organisations and complex socio-technical systems. Her primary interests include strategic design, design thinking, design for organizational change, and design for systemic transitions. Her current work focuses on enabling sustainable and circular transformation in the furniture sector through servitization and design-driven innovation. Xue has extensive experience leading and contributing to interdisciplinary and intercultural research initiatives. She has coordinated several EU-funded projects (Horizon Europe, Horizon 2020, Interreg, Erasmus+) as well as national research projects (PNRR MICS, Fondazione Cariplo). She also collaborates closely with industry partners on strategic and service design initiatives. She is an active lecturer in Europe and Asia, teaching courses in strategic design, design thinking, and design research. Her academic contributions are regularly published in international peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings.