Assistant Professor, Appalachian State University
Jimena Vergara-Sanz is an industrial designer, artist, Fulbright scholar, and Assistant Professor at Appalachian State University. She holds a Master of Industrial Design from North Carolina State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Product Design from Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia. With 17 years of professional and entrepreneurial experience, Jimena specializes in sustainable and inclusive design, human factors, and human-centered creative processes.
Born without her right hand, she transforms personal experience into design research that challenges stigma and reimagines prosthetics as functional tools and cultural statements. Her current work explores the use of digital fabrication and 3D printing to develop more accessible prosthetic solutions, while also advancing conversations around disability, identity, and social inclusion.
Jimena’s creative practice also engages with transition design, using projects like Moonroot to explore how design can help society address stigmatized or difficult topics and reframe cultural narratives. In the classroom, she integrates contemplative practices into ideation to foster creativity and empathy, preparing students not only to be skilled designers but also better human beings. Her work positions design as both a practical discipline and a catalyst for long-term social transformation.
