I’m the James Wei Visiting Professor at the Keller Center and a Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology. My work explores the social and political qualities of design. I’m committed to engaged scholarship, and I work closely with community-based organizations. I’m the author of Adversarial Design (2012) and Design as Democratic Inquiry (2022) and an editor of the journal Design Issues. I also serve on the steering committee of the Atlanta Interdisciplinary Artificial Intelligence Network, a multi-institution collective funded by the Mellon Foundation, investigating how to enlist AI ethically, equitably, and in the service of justice, drawing on methods and theories from the humanities.
What will students be able to take away from your classes?
My course At The Root: Radical Approaches to Sustainability explores pressing sustainability issues and how we might use design methods to create interventions and strategies to address those issues. We’ll take a broad approach to both design and sustainability. Students who take this class will develop a depth of understanding of current sustainability issues, ranging from the environmental costs of A.I. to the possibilities of community economies and alternative food networks. Students will also develop an appreciation of the potentials and limits of design. The course will involve readings, research, and design activities, cultivating students' creativity, critical thinking, and critical making skills.
What attracted you to the Keller Center?
Throughout my research, teaching, and practice, I’m committed to understanding how design can contribute to more just and sustainable communities. I believe that imagination and curiosity, coupled with inquiry and action, are important for social and political transformation. I was drawn to the Keller Center because it shares those commitments and beliefs—it’s a place of learning and doing with meaning.
I also believe the liberal arts are vital to design in the 21st century. Appreciating history, considering diverse social theories, and drawing from literature and the arts—this is what's needed for design to be relevant. Princeton centers the liberal arts, and as such, it's an exciting place to explore how we might expand design beyond its familiar trappings toward ways of knowing and doing that genuinely contribute to more pluralistic worlds.
How are you involved with the Keller Center?
I’m the 2024-2025 James Wei Visiting Professor at the Keller Center. In the fall semester, I’ll teach a course on design and sustainability. I’ll also work with faculty to develop curriculum and research and contribute to the growth of design studies at the Keller Center.
