F.I.G.

about me

Hi, I'm Maria! I'm an Industrial Design graduate student with hands-on experience in open-source making, digital fabrication, and teaching. Skilled in CAD workflows and equipment operation, I bring strong writing and documentation abilities from interdisciplinary research. I'm drawn to collaborative, cross-disciplinary environments and bring a maker's curiosity to new design and fabrication technologies. My design studio, Factory Industries Group (F.I.G.), produces immersive branding experiences and products for clients such as Geographer Magazine, Nike Run Club, and Isamaya Beauty.

Awards and Grants

2026Recipient, STEAMPlant Sirovich Family Student Scholarship Grant
2025Recipient, Pratt Graduate Student Engagement Fund
2024–presentDean's List, Pratt Institute
2024Recipient, Waag FutureLab BioHack Academy Internal Research Grant
2016Finalist, Chevrolet Hack Lab
2015EF Global Citizen Scholar

Software

  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Adobe InDesign
  • KeyShot
  • Figma
  • Rhino
  • Grasshopper
  • Maya
  • Fusion 360
  • Procreate

Inspirations

The Player Piano Museum in Amsterdam, history of Jacquard looms/punch card computer programming, Lillian Gilbreth's kitchen design and time-and-motion studies, Neil Gershenfeld's open-source FabLab movement, Gothic Architecture, short stories by Jorge Borges and J. G. Ballard

Languages

English, Dutch

Hard Skills

Digital Fabrication, Rapid Prototyping, Technical Documentation, Interdisciplinary Research, Teaching

Contact

Experience

  1. 062018082022
    B.A. Liberal Arts and Sciences
    Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
  2. 072022012023
    Creative Technologist
    Eucalyptus Labs
  3. 022023062024
    Intern → Researcher
    Waag FutureLab,
    FabLab and BioLab
  4. 082024052027
    M.I.D., Industrial Design
    Pratt Institute
  5. 072022012023
    Student Robotics Researcher
    Assembly Loop Lab
  6. 082024082025
    Graduate Robotics Researcher
    Pratt Institute
    Technology Department
  7. 082025062026
    Teaching Assistant
    Pratt Institute
    Industrial Design Department
  8. 012026052026
    Graduate Arduino Researcher
    Pratt Institute
    Industrial Design Department
  9. 062026082026
    Fabricator
    Safwat by Safwat