Francesco Zurlo, PhD, is Dean of the School of Design of the Politecnico di Milano.

His research interests are concentrated in strategic, systematic and creative research through design, focusing to the ecological impact of business innovations and human flourishing. Professor Zurlo is Founder and Director of CI.Lab (a research unit of the Design Department, addressed to research the dynamics and competitiveness of the creative industries), he is member of the scientific committee of the Observatory of Design Thinking for Business of the School of Management of Politecnico di Milano, and of ADI Index (the most important organization for assessing the best design in Italy).

He is director of the Executive Master in Design Strategy and System Innovation, and co-director of the Master in Strategic Design and Furniture Design of Politecnico di Milano. He is author of numerous international publications about strategic design, design driven innovation, design for organization.