The challenges of our time demand design leadership. As artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, political polarization, and a rapidly changing climate reshape our lives, designers must go beyond aesthetics to lead conversations about ethics, resilience, and impact, and define preferred futures.
The Master of Design (MDes) for HCI and Emerging Technology at the Sam Fox School at WashU positions designers at the center of this transformation. Partnering with Engineering, Medicine, Public Health, and more, the program is anchored in collaboration, experimentation, and social responsibility. MDes faculty and students lead across disciplines, tackling complex problems with creativity and rigor to develop the next generation of socially innovative digital products.
This year, driven by the urgency of the May 16th tornado that touched down near Washington University before devastating neighborhoods in North St. Louis, the program’s research trajectory focuses on extreme weather and climate adaptation—exploring how digital tools, interfaces, and design-led systems can help communities prepare for, respond to, and thrive amidst increasingly volatile environments.
Join program chair and Associate Professor Jonathan Hanahan to learn how the MDes is training the next generation of leaders—designers who are not only fluent in technology, but who shape its role in building more just, resilient, and human futures. Hanahan will discuss the program’s mission and opportunities for students as well as his research into sensory and ambient interfaces, speculating about a more digitally enhanced yet less digitally imposing future.