Teaching

I teach with a student-focused, research-led, and science-based approach rooted in heutagogy (self-determined learning) to better equip students to emerging industry demands, and empower them with the tools and mindset to use their imagination to envision different futures. For my commitment to professionalism in teaching and learning in higher education, I have been recognised as a Fellow member of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA, UK) and been awarded the Great Teaching Award for Outstanding Teaching from the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Princeton University several times.

---

2021 – Present: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Lecturer & Design Curriculum Leader; Integrated Design + Management (idm) Master’s Program, part of Systems Design & Management. Sloan School of Management and School of Engineering. MIT, Cambridge, MA.

The program teaches a balanced approach combining design, engineering and business, aimed at mid-career professionals interested in reaching leaderships roles.

I supervise students’ Masters thesis projects in the intersection of design, human-centered research and multiple domains, including medicine, science, food insecurity, policy making, play, wellbeing, and technology.

2020 – Present: University of Mar del Plata

Visiting Course Leader; Postgraduate School. School of Natural & Exact Sciences, University of Mar del Plata (Argentina). Watch students’ final presentations (Spanish).

Course designed & taught:

Creatividad Aplicada para Repensar la Investigación Científica (Online). The course is designed for early career researchers (science PhD students) and it discusses the main theories of creative thinking, their application to modern scientific research, common barriers, and current problems in the field of creativity. Students learn the psychological and neurocognitive processes that allow creative thinking, how to reconnect with their imagination, and strategies to stimulate creativity in others. By the end of the course, students learn how to practice deliberate cognitive creativity, by bringing it from the unconscious level to the conscious level, and applying it at will when needed.

---

2015 – 2021: Princeton University

Head Design Academic, Professional Specialist & Lecturer in Creativity and Design. School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Keller Center. Princeton University (New Jersey, US)

Courses designed & taught:

FRS175: Reimagining your World: Creativity Scholarship, Skills and Practical Applications. Students use creative thinking and speculative design to challenge social constructs and imagine how things could be. They envision their ideal college experience for the next 3.5 years, considering their needs, future goals, academic choices, interactions with other students, the community, society, technology, and the world. Students develop scenarios and multiple prototypes to make their ideas tangible. The project culminates in an installation where students share their envisioned journeys with the Princeton community.

EGR200 (EGR392): Creativity, Innovation & Design. Students use creativity techniques and design thinking to tackle a variety of unframed social problems. Working in groups, students conduct ethnographic research, define the problem, ideate innovative solutions, create prototypes and test their ideas with real users. Students have generated design concepts to address loneliness, microaggression, self-worth, identity crisis, diversity and inclusion, among other topics.

• Faces of Fitness Campaign by Cydney Kim, Tyler Valicenti and Kesin Dehejia (Spring 2017)
• Design Thinking is Awesome: Here’s Why by Samantha Ip (Spring 2018)

EGR381: Design for Understanding. Students learn how to make sense of the world and visually communicate with clarity. Through hands-on exercises and projects, students first gain familiarity with key cognitive activities of the sensemaking process: filter relevant from irrelevant information, give meaning to experiences, and move from data to an interpretation constructing patterns to gain a broader understanding of the situation at hand. Then, students learn design principles to create visual explanations that support those activities. Projects range from the design of posters, installations and booklets to visual stories. 

EGR487: Advanced Problem Solving Through Design Thinking. Students work on a 12-week long project to address a self-chosen unframed challenge. Students’ projects have ranged from improving students’ sleep health and well-being, leveraging technology to address global changes, and developing patient-focused health products. Some of these projects have developed innovative solutions that have been implemented and others have received external funding to continue the work. These are some students’ project examples:

• Spot Me, a Weightlifting Program by Allison Huang (Spring 2019)
• NuHeal, Orthopedic devices that improve healing process by Courtney O’Brien (Spring 2019)
• Adora experiences by Raya Ward (Spring 2020)
• Schoolar Energy by David Garfunkel (Spring 2020)
• Sleep Deprivation at Princeton by Matthew Marquardt (Spring 2020)
• Introduction to field research and data gathering by Raya Ward (spring 2020)

EGR200 in the press:

• Princeton’s new TigerWell initiative shines a light on student health and wellbeing (8 February, 2019). By Jeffrey Labrecque, University Advancement, Princeton University.
• Bye, Bye, Loneliness (5 December, 2018). By Deborah Yaffe, Princeton Alumni Weekly (PAW).
• Keller Center’s ‘Creativity, Innovation and Design’ course sparks new perspectives on problem-solving (9 January, 2017). By Wendy Plump for the Office of Engineering Communications. Princeton University.
• UnLonely in the Field: Princeton Design Class (May, 2019). By Maddie Foley for the UnLonely Project. The Foundation for Art & Healing.

EGR381 in the press:

• Quantum Computing + Information Design + NYSCI = Design for Understanding – 21 May, 2019. Department of Computer Science, University of Chicago.

---

2017: Parsons School of Design – The New School (New York, US)

Adjunct Professor/Lecturer. Strategic Design and Management (BBA) program. School of Design Strategies. Course taught: Information Visualization

2017: Rutgers University (New Jersey, US)

Adjunct Professor/Lecturer. Masters of Information. Informatics and Design Concentration. School of Communication & Information. Course taught: 512 Interaction Design

2014 – Present

Honorary Research Associate. University College London, Interaction Centre (UCLIC – UK)

---

2001 – 2014

2013: Guest Lecturer. MA/MSc in Digital Humanities – Internet Technologies Course. University College London. Adjunct Professor/Lecturer. MA in Counseling. Goldsmith University. London
Course taught: Research Methods

2012-2014: Unit Leader and Lecturer at Master of Design (Service Design & Design Management).
Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication. London.
Courses taught: Practical Application of Design Thinking (Unit 2), Studio Practice (Unit 6), Supervision of Final Major Projects (Unit 7)

2011-2013: Graphic Design Subject Leader. Architecture, Art and Design Pathway. University Foundation Programme. David Game College. London
Courses taught: Graphic Design, Research Projects 1 and 2, Portfolio Preparation, Creative Suite Tools (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop) – See Video Here

2009-2011: Guest Lecturer. University of the Arts, London.

2007-2010: Guest Lecturer. University of Barcelona. School of Design and Image.

2001-2003: Adjunct Professor. Faculty of Architecture, Design and Urbanism. University of Buenos Aires. Argentina.
Course taught: Typography I – BA Graphic Design.