Departments
Art + Design
Education
- PhD, Media Arts and Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- MS, Media Arts and Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- MDes, Interaction Design, Carnegie Mellon University
Research Focus
- Information Design
Tad Hirsch is Professor of Art + Design at Northeastern University, where he conducts research and creative practice at the intersection of design, engineering, and social justice. He is currently developing automated assessment and training tools for addiction counseling and mental health; prior work has tackled such thorny issues as human trafficking, environmental justice, and public protest.
Hirsch’s creative work has been exhibited at the Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie (ZKM) Karlsruhe, The New Museum, The Aldridge Contemporary Art Museum, and MassMoca, and has been featured at international festivals including ISEA and Ars Electronica. He has received awards and commissions from the IxDA, IDSA, Prix Ars Electronica, Design Ignites Change, and Rhizome.org.
Hirsch earned his PhD and MSc at the M.I.T. Media Lab. He also holds an MDes in Interaction Design from Carnegie Mellon, and a BA in Philosophy from Vassar College. Prior to joining Northeastern University, Hirsch was Associate Professor of Interaction Design at the University of Washington and Senior Research Scientist at Intel Labs. He is also founding member of the Institute for Applied Autonomy, an influential art/technology/activism collective that was active from 1998-2008.
