Center for Design

The Center for Design is Northeastern’s platform for interdisciplinary design research. It is a space for collaborative research activities and a hub for connecting the actors of the design ecosystem. It aims to share knowledge and practices, shape common tools and methods, and strengthen a unified disciplinary ground.

The complexity of the grand challenges surrounding health, security, mobility, sustainability and democracy demands a long-term shared research effort that crosses disciplinary boundaries. Design as an ‘interdisciplinary and integrative discipline’ – with its capacity to map the complex dynamics of an issue, foresee its evolution, and shape tangible and intangible interfaces, experiences, services and systems – can empower the network between and across disciplines. Design also facilitates the cross-disciplinary discourse itself through innovative communication methods, and as a ‘third discipline’ mediates across humanics.

The Center for Design opens up a new space for these interdisciplinary exchanges; it is where the design research agenda is collectively shaped and innovative solutions are collaboratively conceived and developed through joint research initiatives. Building solid ground for the bridges that CAMD faculty members have already established internally and promoting new collaborations with other areas both within and beyond Northeastern University, the Center for Design gathers the critical mass needed to leverage existing research initiatives, providing them a fertile environment to grow and systematically sustain them.

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Research and Projects

The Center for Design opens up a new space for these interdisciplinary exchanges. It is where the design research agenda is collectively shaped and innovative solutions are collaboratively conceived and developed through joint research initiatives.

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People and Partners

The Center for Design is Northeastern’s platform for interdisciplinary design research. It is a space for collaborative research activities and a hub for connecting the actors of the design ecosystem.

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Events

The Center for Design hosts a lecture series to spark a conversation amongst working professionals in the field of design. Hear from data, engineering, political, software, urban planning, visual and many more leading industry experts.

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Design Research Week

The Center for Design at the Northeastern University College of Arts, Media and Design hosts an annual Design Research Week — a week of presentations, conversations, studio visits, exhibits, and workshops with colleagues, faculty, and students in design research.

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Book a Room

How to reserve space at the Center for Design, space amenities, acceptable reasons for reserving space, and rules for using space at the Center for Design.

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Recent News from the CfD

Art + Design

Escape rooms could help make VR and AR effective tools

Virtual and augmented reality learning is more popular than ever, but it still has flaws. Northeastern researchers turned to escape rooms to learn how AI could help students learn better using immersive technology.

May 14, 2025

Image courtesy of Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff
Art + Design

Museum of Science hosts climate change education event

Skye Morét, a recent graduate from the Interdisciplinary Design and Media PhD program, was part of the lineup at Rise Up Boston, an educational event spotlighting climate change at the Museum of Science.

April 26, 2025

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