We are thrilled to have three new professors joining the IDV cohort. Welcome Steven Braun, Psyche Loui and Paolo Ciuccarelli, whose expertise and scholarly contributions intersect visualization, neuroscience, cognition and graphic design. Read below what they bring to the Program.

Paolo Ciuccarelli – Professor, Design

Architect and Communication Designer, Paolo Ciuccarelli is Professor of Design at Northeastern after twenty years at Politecnico di Milano in Italy. At Politecnico he coordinated the Communication Design program (BSc and MSc), has been member of the board at the PhD in Design and he founded the DensityDesign Research Lab, an award winning laboratory for data visualization and information design. Paolo’s research focuses on the design transformations that help making sense of data and information to improve decision making processes, especially with non experts stakeholders and for controversial complex social issues where he’s also experimenting on the role of rhetorics and visual poetry for a deeper engagement. Paolo is the Director of the Center for Design at Northeastern.

Psyche Loui – Assistant Professor, Music Technology

Psyche Loui’s research and work comprise cognition, neuroscience and creativity. Director of the MIND Lab (Music, Imaging and Neural Dynamics) at Northeastern University, Loui has published in the journals Current Biology, Journal of Neuroscience, Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, NeuroImage, Frontiers in Psychology, Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports, Music Perception, Annuals of the New York Academy of Sciences, and others. Loui graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with her PhD in Psychology (Specialization: Cognition, Brain and Behavior). Before that she studied Psychology, Music and Neuroscience at Duke University.

Steven Braun – Visiting Assistant Professor, Visualization Design

Steven’s visualization work and scholarly contributions explore themes such as narrative, language, and human experience. Prior to joining the Art + Design Department, he served as the Data Analytics and Visualization Specialist in Snell Library at Northeastern for nearly 4 years, where he worked as a consultant, analyst, and data visualization designer with Northeastern students, faculty, and staff. Steven’s interests are very interdisciplinary and include novel data visualization approaches, digital humanities, and the role of visualization in Japan studies scholarship. He received his B.A. in chemistry and Asian studies from St. Olaf College and his M.S. in molecular biophysics and biochemistry from Yale University, with some time spent as a research student (Fulbright Fellow) at Kyoto University (Japan) in between.