Since launching in 2022, the MIT Morningside Academy of Design (MAD) has supported MIT graduate students with a fellowship, allowing recipients to conduct research and design projects while building a community. Drawing from different corners of design, they explore solutions in fields such as sustainability, health, architecture, urban planning, engineering and social justice.
On May 1, MAD announced the 2024 Cohort of Design Fellows at the MIT Museum.
Meet the MIT MAD 2024 Design Fellows
Video: MIT Morningside Design Academy
Sofia ChiapperoMCP student at Department of Urban Studies and Planning and MITdesignX affiliate: Chiappero is working around the intersection of community development and technology, with the goal of addressing the challenges faced by underserved communities at risk of displacement in Latin America. Through a combination of social sciences and digital inclusion, it seeks to design a new approach to investigate human interactions and replicate them in virtual environments, with the ultimate goal of preserving the identity of these communities and giving them visibility for resilient growth.
Clemence CouteauMBA candidate at MIT Sloan School of Management: Couteau is addressing the rise in postpartum depression among American mothers with the goal of developing a digital solution that empowers at-risk pregnant women to improve mental health outcomes. It is a self-directed therapy chatbot in a mobile application, based on the “ROSE” protocol.
Mateo FernandezMarch student at Architectural department: Fernández explores how to move away from the current construction industry, designing alternatives such as growing buildings with biomaterials and implementing advanced 3D printing technologies for construction.
Charlotte Folinusdoctoral candidate in the Department of Mechanical Engineering: Folinus creates new methods for designing soft robots, using these tools to design soft robots for smooth interactions, uncertain environments, and long mechanical lives. “I'm very excited to be surrounded by people who can do things that I can't. That's when I am the best version of myself. I think that’s the community I’ll find here,” he says.
Alexander Htet Kyawmaster's student at Architectural department and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and MITdesignX affiliate: Htet Kyaw's current research uses robotic assembly, multimodal interaction, and generative artificial intelligence to challenge conventional fabrication and fabrication practices. He is working on an ai-powered workflow that translates design intent into tangible objects through robotic assembly.
Deni Lopez PhD candidate at the Department of Urban Studies and Planning: As a design fellow, López uses design research to evaluate and expand the scope of Bicheeche Diidxa', a long-running participatory action research initiative for disaster resilience focused on five Zapotec communities along the Los Perros River in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Caitlin Morrisdoctoral candidate in media arts and sciences: Morris's research explores the role of multisensory influences on cognition and learning, and seeks to find and build bridges between digital and computational interfaces and practical, community-centered teaching and learning practices.
Maxine Perronidoctoral candidate in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Perroni-Scharf is currently working on developing techniques that enable the discovery and design of extreme metamaterials: 3D printed materials that exhibit extreme properties arising not from their chemical composition, but from their structure. These can be applied to a variety of tasks, from battery design to accessibility.
rainy weather in Lyledoctoral candidate in the Department of Mechanical Engineering: Regenwetter develops methods to incorporate design requirements, such as security constraints and performance objectives, into the training process of generative ai models.
Zane Schemerdoctoral candidate in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Schemmer's research aims to minimize the carbon footprint of the built environment by designing efficient structures that consider the availability of local materials.