Ana Prates is a product designer and maker, born in 1976, with a focus on social and participatory design, multidisciplinary processes, communities, memory, and territory, exploring manufacturing from arts and crafts to emerging technologies.
She graduated in Industrial Design from the Lusíada University of Lisbon, Product Design Engineering from the Polytechnic of Leiria, and Advanced CAD Technologies from the Design School at Loughborough University. She is an Industrial Designer with experience in R&D, new technologies, and traditional crafts.

She is interested in areas such as biomimicry, smart production technologies and materials, as well as working with natural materials and artisanal techniques. She has participated in residencies and workshops such as glass production, reed weaving, wicker basketry, cork design, vegetable fibers and textiles, pottery, and sustainable construction.

She has worked as a designer, project manager, and researcher in product development. She has also worked in the management, production, and curation of events such as Leiria Design, among others. She has developed her own projects, such as the cork agglomerate product brand SOBRO, a residency and creative tourism project, and was a member of the Colectivo Til, with a shared interest in materials, co-creation processes, civic and social intervention. She is currently a Research Fellow at LiDA – Design and Arts Research Laboratory (ESAD CR/IPLeiria) and at CETEMARES – Center for Research and Development (R&D), Training and Dissemination of Maritime Knowledge (MARE/IPLeiria).