Lecturer

LECTURER, D-Lab (part-time, 40%), to serve as instructor for one combined class that includes two variations, "Design" is a 12-unit version and "Leadership in Design" is a 6-unit version, 2.722J/EC.720 D-Lab Design and EC.725 Leadership in Design. This is a mechanical engineering prototyping class that follows the design thinking and human-centered design frameworks throughout the semester and connects student teams with innovative global start-ups and nonprofits to solve global challenges in health, agriculture, sanitation, climate, social entrepreneurship, and other sectors. Both classes are coordinated and co-taught by a 2-instructor team, including lectures and teamwork times on both class days. Both classes meet as a combined group on Monday & Wednesday from 2:30pm-5:00pm, Spring Semester: February 1 - May 11, 2027. Using the steps of design thinking, students learn theory during the lecture portions of the class and gain hands-on experience in their design challenge teams, creating an early-stage prototype with feedback from an international partner, the D-Lab workshop manager, and the instructors. Lectures cover the steps of the design thinking process, including user research, brainstorming, prototyping, iteration, and testing. Additional content is delivered related to "design for development" themes, constraints faced when designing with partners in resource-limited settings, design for affordability, sustainability, and strategies for project management and working respectfully with community.