MAD

265 Massachusetts Ave
Bldg N52-373, Cambridge, MA 02139

Two initiatives awarded MAD curriculum support to transform design education

Jul 21, 2025

Collaborating with the force of nature

StoriesJul 14, 2025

Maria Iacobo | School of Architecture and Planning

A triangular metal structure partially buried in a rugged volcanic landscape, surrounded by black lava rocks and patches of snow. Steam rises from the ground, and a snow-covered mountain looms in the background under a clear blue sky.

Now Open: Fall 2025 Call for Design Events

AnnouncementsJul 14, 2025

What does a designer actually do?

Blog postJun 26, 2025

Wonuola Abiodun & Alexandra Coston

A group of eight people gathered around a rectangular table in a bright, modern classroom. They are engaged in a hands-on activity involving colorful paper, markers, scissors, and other craft supplies. One person is standing and helping others, while others are seated or reading instructions. A large screen in the background displays a message about an HDMI cable, and large windows bring in natural light from a cityscape outside.

Is there a design formula?

Screenshot of a three-person Zoom meeting. The top-left participant, identified as Wonu M Abiodun, is smiling and wearing a black top with an earpiece. The top-right participant, Megan Parzonko (she/her/hers), has shoulder-length dark hair and is smiling in front of a bookshelf and dark background. The bottom participant, Alexandra Coston, is sitting in a well-lit bedroom with curly hair and an orange sweater; there are posters and a tapestry on the wall behind her.

Jun 26, 2025

MIT Gala offers MET Gala some very-MIT competition, including a dress with morse code hidden in the beadwork

Model walks in a white dress featuring gold embroidery and a sunburst motif on the bodice. The structured gown has a sweeping hemline and is framed by seated spectators.

Jun 20, 2025

Watch the ALBERS x MIT event replay

Jun 17, 2025

Cyclical Vision: VAMO Proposes an Alternative to Architectural Permanence

Jun 16, 2025

Designing quilts with foundation paper piecing

Person holding up a finished quilt block featuring a black cat with bright yellow eyes, surrounded by purple, lavender, and patterned fabric shapes. The background appears to be a makerspace workshop.

Jun 12, 2025

MAD Community Highlights at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale

Textile pieces with intricate patterns hang on a line strung between two old brick buildings, swaying in the breeze under a blue sky with light clouds.

Jun 9, 2025

MIT D-Lab students design global energy solutions through collaboration

Four students pose with a handmade wooden dehydrator featuring a transparent front door and multiple slotted trays inside, designed for drying or processing materials. A close-up on the right shows the interior trays under a heat lamp.

Jun 5, 2025

The MIT Morningside Academy for Design welcomes D-Lab into its growing design ecosystem

Three panelists speaking during a discussion at MIT MAD’s 'Designing With, Not For' event, with one woman in the foreground gesturing while speaking.

Jun 5, 2025

Communities at the Center

Young woman wearing a black shirt, seating and smiling in a makerspace. 3D printing tools in the background.

Jun 3, 2025

At MIT, Musicians Make New Tools for New Tunes

A man with medium-length hair and a beard sits on a curved indoor staircase. He is wearing glasses, a brown jacket, brown pants, and sneakers. The setting appears to be a modern building with red brick walls, large windows, and a light-colored floor.

May 31, 2025

Designing a First Year at MIT

May 27, 2025

Design + Education: an interview with Paola Antonelli

May 21, 2025

Grad student combines technology, education, and human connection to improve online learning

Smiling woman with shoulder-length brown hair and glasses, wearing a black top, seated in a modern workshop or makerspace with equipment and yellow desk lamps in the background.

May 16, 2025

Event Replay: MAD in Dialogue

May 15, 2025

MIT Community at the Venice Architecture Biennale curated by Carlo Ratti

May 15, 2025

Inaugural Morningside Academy for Design Professorships named

Black and white portraits of three individuals, each framed within a polygon shape. From left to right: a woman with short light hair and a serious expression; a man with short dark hair and a slight smile; and an older man with a full white beard and a warm expression.

Apr 30, 2025

Event Replay: Speculative Climate Design

Apr 25, 2025

Merging Design and Computer Science in Creative Ways

Apr 9, 2025

Improving breast prostheses for mastectomy patients

Apr 4, 2025

Luna: A Moon on Earth

Apr 2, 2025

Jack Bolte ’28 Uses Data to Enhance Swimming Performance

Mar 25, 2025

John Ochsendorf Named to The Curious 100 List

Mar 17, 2025

Shifting Light, Blooming Color

Mar 13, 2025

Event replay: Learning from Zurich’s Co-ops

A woman with gray hair and glasses gives a presentation at a podium, gesturing with her hands. Behind her, a large screen displays a colorful data visualization composed of overlapping circles. Red and black text is written on the whiteboard behind her.

Mar 5, 2025

Cultivators of Research

Feb 18, 2025

Looking deep to see wide and far

Feb 17, 2025

Designing for extreme environments

Feb 3, 2025

Design + Curiosity: Interview with Jessica Banks

Jan 22, 2025

Call for Design Curriculum and Class Proposals

Jan 17, 2025

Call for Teachers: K–12 Innovation Fellowship

Jan 14, 2025

Discovering the freedom and fun of art without rules

Jan 14, 2025

MIT Students’ Work Redefine Human-AI Collaboration at NeurIPS

Jan 7, 2025

“Questions as Tools,” Featuring MAD’s Director John Ochsendorf

A smiling man in a beige blazer and dark sweater stands in front of a tall bookshelf filled with books. Sunlight filters through a nearby window, casting light into the room.

Jan 7, 2025

Street Smarts

Dec 20, 2024

Tackling the Energy Revolution, One Sector at a Time

Dec 18, 2024

Watch the Replay of Beyond Human: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Design

Dec 12, 2024

MAD Fellow Zane Schemmer Minimizes Carbon Footprint of Structures

Dec 11, 2024

MITdesignX LUMA Design Innovation Studio Call for Applications

Dec 8, 2024

The 2025 MAD Design Fellowship Call for Applications is now open

Nov 27, 2024

Betting on Curiosity: Kevin Bethune shares insights with MIT design community

Nov 26, 2024

3 Questions: Claire Wang on training the brain for memory sports

Nov 22, 2024

“Mens et manus” in Guatemala

Nov 18, 2024

Finding a sweet spot between radical and relevant

Nov 14, 2024

From Ideas to Impact: A Conversation with Global Citizen Co-Founder Michael Sheldrick

Three panelists sit at a table in front of a chalkboard during a discussion. The man in the center gestures with his hands while speaking, flanked by a smiling man on the left and a woman in a blue blazer on the right. Name cards in front of them read “Sheldrick,” “Papa,” and “So.” Glasses of water and books titled From Ideas to Impact are on the table.

Nov 12, 2024

Fusing science and culture through metalsmithing

Nov 4, 2024

MakerLodge Becomes M1T

Oct 28, 2024

Watch Jessica Banks’ Love Letter to the Unmade

Oct 24, 2024

N52 Space Reservation

A narrow courtyard between two brick industrial buildings is covered in dense green ivy. Tall windows line the walls, some with geometric designs visible inside. Sunlight casts strong shadows across the ivy-covered wall at the back.

Oct 17, 2024

Roi Salgueiro Barrio Will Co-Curate the Spanish Pavilion at the Venice Biennale 2025

Oct 11, 2024

From Junk Hoarding to Quality Coffee Grinding

Oct 10, 2024

Design + Creativity: Interview with Neuroscientist Lila Chrysikou

A woman with long dark hair sits in front of a neutral background, wearing a black top and large circular earrings. She appears to be speaking thoughtfully. A play button overlay indicates the image is from a paused video interview.

Oct 8, 2024

Podcast: Scratching the Surface, with John Ochsendorf

Oct 4, 2024

Event Replay: Level Up Game Design Panel Discussion

Oct 1, 2024

Take a Public Tour of MIT D-Lab!

Sep 17, 2024

Large Language Objects

Sep 6, 2024

Fall 2024: Highlighted Design Courses in the Department of Architecture

Aug 26, 2024

Fall 2024: MITdesignX Courses

Aug 26, 2024

Fall 2024: MIT D-Lab Courses

Aug 26, 2024

Design + Performance: Interview with Gihan Amarasiriwardena

Aug 22, 2024

Conversations for Beginners

Aug 19, 2024

MIT D-Lab off-grid brooder saves chicks and money using locally manufactured thermal batteries

A group of seven people stand inside a rustic wooden structure, gathered around a large box labeled "BAZAR." One person gestures toward the box while others watch attentively. A metal tub with jars and containers sits on the ground nearby. The group appears to be engaged in a hands-on demonstration or discussion.

Aug 12, 2024

Design Library, Part 5

Aug 12, 2024

Highlights

Design + Typography: Interview with Matthew Carter

An older man with long gray hair pulled back speaks in front of a background overlaid with large, technical letterform drawings. He wears a dark vest over a blue shirt. The image appears to be from a recorded interview or video segment.

Aug 7, 2024

2024-25 Call for Design Projects

Aug 2, 2024

Announcements

MIT Theater Students Learn Design Through the Power of Play

Jul 30, 2024

DRS 2024 Event Replays: On Design Writing and Engaging Communities

Jul 22, 2024

Designing for outer space

A person wearing a reflective silver suit steps out of a glowing geodesic pod-like structure in a dark space. The faceted dome is made of translucent panels with organic patterns illuminated from within, creating a futuristic and immersive atmosphere.

Jul 4, 2024

MITdesignX Pitch Day Replay — 2024 Edition

A woman speaks into a microphone in front of a large audience in a bright, modern auditorium. A second woman stands at a podium nearby. Behind them, a large multi-screen display shows a colorful image of a crowded outdoor event. The audience includes people of various ages, attentively watching the presentation.

Jun 28, 2024

The Design Research Conference 2024 Will Be Hosted at MIT on June 27

Jun 21, 2024

Design + Innovation: Interview with Allison Arieff

A woman with short gray hair speaks while gesturing with her hands. She wears a brown ribbed sweater and sits in front of a light, neutral background. The image appears to be from a video interview or recorded conversation.

Jun 20, 2024

Sophia Chen: It’s our duty to make the world better through empathy, patience, and respect

May 29, 2024

New MIT-LUMA Lab created to address climate challenges in the Mediterranean region

May 29, 2024

MIT MAD is Hiring an Academic-Research Program Administrator

May 21, 2024

DesignPlus: Creating Hands-On Experiences for Students in MIT’s Forge

May 20, 2024

MIT N52’s Design Community Comes Together During Boston Design Week

May 16, 2024

Designers for the Future Event Replay

May 14, 2024

Sixty Sixty One: From Aluminum Alloy to Wearables

May 9, 2024

From Insights to Impact: The MITdesignX 2024 Cohort Proposes Ventures for a More Sustainable World

May 7, 2024

2024 MAD Design Fellows Announced at the MIT Museum

May 2, 2024

Putting User Needs on the Map

Apr 26, 2024

2023 Design Fellow Liane Makatura Reimagines the Way we Design and Manufacture Physical Objects

Apr 24, 2024

HPI-MIT Design Research Collaboration Creates Powerful Teams

Apr 18, 2024

2023 Design Fellow Alexandra Rieger Innovates in the Field of Omnisensory Medicine

Apr 9, 2024

A Rigorous Design Methodology to Prepare for Medical Emergencies in Space

Mar 15, 2024

Curiosity Unbounded, with Skylar Tibbits: Staying radical and relevant

Mar 11, 2024

MIT Goes MAD for Making

Mar 8, 2024

Creating an Experience in 4.500 Design Computation

Feb 28, 2024

Design + Computation: Interview with Nervous System Design Studio Co-Founders

Feb 21, 2024

Letting the Earth Answer Back: Designing Better Planetary Conversations

Feb 16, 2024

2024-25 Designing for Sustainability Research Program

Feb 14, 2024

2023 Design Fellow James Brice Works with Oysters for Coastal Adaptation

Feb 8, 2024

4.110 Design Across Scales Announces its 2024 Spring Semester Guest Speakers

Feb 6, 2024

Researchers demonstrate rapid 3D printing with liquid metal

Jan 28, 2024

Why Should You Have a Portfolio? New Consolidated Resources for Students

Jan 16, 2024

“Refusal is an Act of Design”: Rethinking Data Ethics

Jan 3, 2024

Nervous System Designers Join Over MAD IAP

Dec 22, 2023

Design + Sustainability: Interview with Paula J. Ehrlich

Dec 20, 2023

Atacama Biomaterials: A Blueprint for Sustainable Innovation

Dec 15, 2023

2022 Design Fellow Jonathan Bessette is Awarded J-WAFS India Grant

Dec 14, 2023

MIT Generative AI Week: Creativity Symposium Replay

Dec 13, 2023

Designing Effective Applications

Dec 11, 2023

Design Fellowship Info Session Replay, Dec 2023

Dec 7, 2023

A Q&A with Engineer, Educator and YouTuber Mark Rober

Dec 4, 2023

Culturally Informed Design: Unearthing Ingenuity Where It Always Was

Nov 28, 2023

2024 Design Fellowship Call for Applications

Nov 21, 2023

The Value of Handcraft in the Makerspace Experience

Nov 7, 2023

Algorithms, Fonts, and Pop-Up Art for Lunch

Nov 1, 2023

Halloween DIY with Design Fellow Sandra Huffman

Oct 31, 2023

MITdesignX Extends Its Reach With Seven Highly Successful International Programs

Oct 30, 2023

Bringing the Environment to the Forefront of Engineering

Oct 25, 2023

Design Library, Part 4

Oct 24, 2023

Highlights

“Designing for Sustainability” Program: Ten Funded Projects

Oct 19, 2023

Magic and its Intriguing Connection to Design and the Humanities Explored at MIT

Oct 16, 2023

Biobot Analytics Founders Mariana Matus and Newsha Ghaeli on “How I Built This”

Oct 12, 2023

MIT PhD student Jana Saadi Studies How Humans Interact with AI-Powered Design Programs

Oct 10, 2023

Deblina Sarkar and Shivam Kajale of MIT awarded Designing for Sustainability Funding with HPI Collaborators

Oct 5, 2023

MITdesignX Call for Applications Now Open

Oct 3, 2023

MakerLodge: A Launchpad for Hands-on Learning

Sep 26, 2023

Greening roofs to boost climate resilience

Sep 20, 2023

Mark Rober Explores MIT’s Maker Alley

Sep 13, 2023

MITdesignX and Project Manus Collaborate to Empower Student Innovation

Sep 11, 2023

Architect/Urban Planner Uses Technology to Improve Life in Informal Settlements

Aug 31, 2023

MIT D-Lab 2023 Fall Classes

Aug 25, 2023

Architect of Change: Justin Brazier Brings Community Kitchens to Boston

Aug 25, 2023

Mags: The Chess Playing Robot

Aug 23, 2023

DRS2024 Boston Conference Call for Papers Now Open

Aug 15, 2023

Announcements

MIT Students Win Top Prize for Innovative Aluminum Plate Alloy Design

Aug 14, 2023

Aligning the “Useful” and “Environmental” Lifetime of Plastics: Elijah Martin’s Engineering Challenge

Aug 7, 2023

New method simplifies the construction process for complex materials

Aug 4, 2023

“Growing Islands,” by the Self-Assembly Lab, now showing at the MIT Museum

Aug 2, 2023

Mariama N'Diaye’s Design-led Approach to Governance

Jul 29, 2023

Media Arts and Sciences (MAS) Transformative Design Tenure-Track Position

Jul 27, 2023

“Tomorrow’s Designers, Designing Today” Event Replay

Jul 25, 2023

Design Library, Part 3

Jul 24, 2023

Highlights

MIT MAD Fellow Improves Accessibility of Online Graphics for Blind Users

Jul 18, 2023

Design Library, Part 2

Jun 23, 2023

Highlights

2023-24 Call for Events

Jun 20, 2023

MIT MAD Fellow Kyle Gordon Wants to Change ‘Who’s in the Room’ During Product Design

Jun 16, 2023

Mark Rober Sparks “Playful Anarchy” in the MIT Design Community

Jun 13, 2023

Redefining Design: Textiles at the Intersection of Tradition and Technology

Jun 8, 2023

Design Library, Part 1

May 24, 2023

Highlights

designboom Announces MIT MAD’s Cohort of “Future World-Changing Designers.”

May 18, 2023

Press

MAD Fellow, AJ Perez 3D Prints the First Building Foundation Made From Recycled Plastic Bottles

May 5, 2023

The Andrea Chegut Fellowship

May 4, 2023

Announcements

Design for Society: “Design Requires Courage”

Apr 24, 2023

Bringing Design Education to K-12 Students

Apr 21, 2023

Engineering Clean Water for Communities

Mar 21, 2023

Designing for Sustainability MIT-HPI Joint Research Program

Mar 7, 2023

MIT PhD Student Lucy Sandoe Quilts Geophysics

Mar 1, 2023

The Six Dimensions of Caring for Patients With Disabilities: A Journey From the US to Sierra Leone

Feb 22, 2023

DesignPlus – A Learning Community

Feb 15, 2023

“Can We Make the Climate Change Talk More Approachable?”

Feb 6, 2023

Make Your Own Shop Apron Workshop

Feb 1, 2023

Highlights

2023–24 Design Fellowship

Jan 5, 2023

Design Central

Dec 19, 2022

Forbes 30 Under 30 in Science 2023

Dec 6, 2022

New Research Collaboration Aims to Tackle Global Societal Challenges Through Design

Nov 8, 2022

Developing Community Around Design

Oct 17, 2022

From Major to Minor, Design Proves Key at MIT

Oct 2, 2022

A New Academy, A New Dawn for Design

Oct 2, 2022

MIT’s New Design Hub

Jun 29, 2022

Press

MIT Announces Morningside Academy for Design, To Be Launched This Fall

Apr 14, 2022

Press

The $100 Million MIT Morningside Academy for Design Will Launch Later This Year

Mar 17, 2022

Press

MIT Morningside Academy for Design Created as a New Hub for Cross-Disciplinary Education, Research, and Innovation

Mar 14, 2022

Press