“Go all in and go crazy”

Jordan Danae Dornak is a designer and researcher specializing in biomaterials.

Jordan Danae

Jordan completed Design Meets Biomaterials, CHEMARTS Summer School, and the CHEMARTS Project between 2023 and 2025 while studying for her Bachelor of Arts in Design and now pursuing a Masters of Arts in Design. She particularly valued the access to materials, tools, and expert guidance:

“The tutors, Tapani Vuorinen and Elizaveta Lingonberg, were game changers in my learning how to work with biomaterials. The ways of making were incredible.”

Her projects included sugarcane packaging and algae bricks, which she describes as both challenging and fascinating, offering practical experience in working with alternative materials.

Jordan Danae

The Algae Brick project was called Levälinna by Jordan Danae Dornak, Karen Charlot-Wauquier and Yuki Yamamoto was a runner-up in the Engage4Bio’ This is Bioeconomy award.

In hindsight, she would advice anyone considering CHEMARTS studies: 

“You’ll use familiar design processes but with very unfamiliar mediums. You will learn so much about yourself, your approach and have a lot of fun! Go all in and go crazy.”

Since then, Jordan has applied her CHEMARTS knowledge in her work as a research assistant at the CSM Physics group at Aalto University, prototyping with cellulose-based foams and exploring coatings and material processing.

“I love everything about it and hope doors open for me to continue this work. The main difference is that I now work with already processed materials rather than developing them from scratch.”

Jordan plans to continue as an industrial designer and researcher specializing in biomaterials, bridging creative design with sustainable material development.

 Sugar cane project called Cane Kraft by Jordan Danae Dornal, [BA ARTS], Nicole Kranck [BA CHEM], Sanna Mannerkoski [MA ARTS] and Ziyue Fan [BA ARTS].

Follow her work on Instagram.

Interested in studying CHEMARTS courses? Apply to Aalto University.