
Spring/Summer 2025
1
Design Research Week
2
Showcases & Exhibits
3
CfD Conversations
3
Meet & Greets
20
Lectures
3
Tour Groups
6
Workshops
3
Scout Labs Events
8
Conferences Attended
2
Curated & Organized Exhibits
9
Conference Presentations
4
Keynotes, Panels & Podcasts
2
Journal Publications
1
Book Chapter
11
Articles
2
Honors & Grants
50+ Events Hosted
1 Design Research Week
Design Research Week returned in 2025 to showcase design-led research projects and initiatives. Keynotes, panels, workshops, exhibitions and industry award ceremonies connected Northeastern’s research community with external stakeholders, partners and guests across the design ecosystem in the Boston area and beyond. Learn more and view the recap on the website.
48 One-Off Activities & Events
11 Class Activities, Presentations, Critiques & Reviews




6 Workshops & Brainstorming Sessions



20 Seminars & Lectures
2 Showcases & Exhibitions




3 Meet & Greets

3 Tour Groups




3 Scout Labs Sessions

25+ Research Publications
8 Conferences Attended

9 Conference Presentations
CHI 2025
-
From Locked Rooms to Open Minds: Escape Room Best Practices to Enhance Reflection in Extended Reality Learning Environments
Erica Kleinman, Rana Jahani, Eileen McGivney, Mehmet Kosa, Seth Cooper, Casper Harteveld
Read the paper here. -
Crafting Champions: An Observation Study of Esports Coaching Processes
Hanbyeol Lee, Erica Kleinman, Namsub Kim, Sangbeom Park, Casper Harteveld, Byungjoo Lee
Read the paper here. -
CT4ALL: Towards Putting Teachers in the Loop to Advance Automated Computational Thinking Metric Assessments in Game-Based Learning
Giovanni Troiano, Michael Cassidy, Daniel Escobar Morales, Guillermo Pons, Amir Abdollahi, Gregorio Robles, Gillian Puttick, Casper Harteveld
Read the paper here.
This paper won honorable mention. -
Bird: A Point Cursor for Virtual Immersive Environments
Aubrey Simonson, Dana Gretton, Casper Harteveld
Read the paper here. -
There's Your Problem: Spatial Localization of Design Flaws in Virtual Reality Training Simulations
Aubrey Simonson, Mehmet Kosa, Mohsen Moghaddam, Kemi Jona, Casper Harteveld
Read the paper here.
ICPP 7
-
Building a Networked Repository of Public Sector Design in Latin America
Sofia Bosch Gomez, Tina Rosado, Diana Pamela Villa Alvarez, Federico Vaz
Read the paper here.
ICED25
-
Probabilistic Methods for Evaluating Human and LLMs During Design Problem-Solving
Ryan Bruggeman, Estefania Ciliotta Chehade, Tucker Marion, Paolo Ciuccarelli
Read the abstract here. -
Evaluating AI Generated Solutions to Ill-structured Design Problems
Ryan Bruggeman
View the workshop here.
IDETC-CIE 2025
-
From Paradox to Measurement in Design Problem-Solving
Ryan Bruggeman, Paolo Ciuccarelli, Tucker Marion
This paper won a top design theory and methodology paper award.
2 Curated & Organized Exhibitions

A-Un
Created by teams from Lexus, Bascule Inc. and Northeastern University
CfD Founding Director Paolo Ciuccarelli and student researchers Chloe Prock, Jasmine Yiming Sun and Elizabeth McCaffrey worked with Lexus on an exhibit, entitled A-Un, for Milan Design Week. The interactive, data-driven exhibit connects cars with people to pioneer new realms of mobility. The installation received two Fuorisalone Awards: second place overall for the audience award, as well as Design Schools Special Mention.
Learn more about the exhibit here.




Constructing la Biennale
Created by teams from the Department of Art and Design at Politecnico di Torino, the Barabasi Lab and the Center for Design
Constructing la Biennale is a 30-meter data visualization installation of the full history of the Venice Biennale Architettura since 1974, covering the scaffolding around the Central Pavilion while it undergoes renovations. The installation is a collaboration between members of the Department of Architecture and Design at Politecnico di Torino, the Barabasi Lab and the Center for Design. CfD Founding Director Paolo Ciuccarelli, affiliate member Todd Linkner and alumnus Matthew Blanco represented the Center for Design on this project. They created Curatorial Synapses, a visual diagram that unpacks the curatorial decision-making process. It maps the curatorial team and designers, with threads representing the selected applications and projects. This visualization captures the global and interdisciplinary complexity behind the exhibition.
Learn more about the exhibit here.
2 Journal Publications
AI-against-design map: A systematic review of 20 years of AI-focused studies in design research
by Fabio Antonio Figoli, Ryan Bruggeman, Lucia Rampino,
Paolo Ciuccarelli
Design Studies
Volume 96
Read it here.

The City of 700 Languages
Data visualization graphic by Pedro Cruz featured in the article.
National Geographic
July 2025 Issue
1 Book Chapter
Amplified experience through temporal proximity
by Stephen Neely and Michael Arnold Mages
Chapter Two of Proximity in Design Research: People, Processes, Products, Philosophy.
Read it here.
Published by Routledge.
11 Articles
by Northeastern Global News
Representing yourself in court can be complicated. This video game aims to make it easier
by Northeastern Global News
Professors creating the largest and ‘most visible’ art project for 2025 Venice Biennale
by Northeastern Global News
Design students showcase interactive, sustainability-focused exhibit at Milan Design Week
by Northeastern Global News
Climate change gets the spotlight at Rise Up Boston in the Museum of Science by The Boston Globe
The Conversation That Changed How I See Design and Problem-Solving
by the Center for Design
Escape rooms are fun, but they could also help make VR and AR effective tools for education and AI
by Northeastern Global News
Northeastern researchers visualize the past and present of the Venice Biennale
by Northeastern Global News
by the Center for Design
Design as the Bridge Between XR and AI: Insights from Our Latest Conversation
by the Center for Design
Design Research in Mental Health and Public Policy
by the Center for Design
2 Keynotes & Panels
2 Podcasts
Design As Podcast
Design As Visualization with Paolo Ciuccarelli and Dietmar Offenhuber
2 Honors & Grants
Mellon Foundation Higher Learning Program Grant
Data Theatre for Civic Deliberation
Principal Investigator: Dani Snyder-Young
Co-Principal Investigators: Rahul Bhargava, Michael Arnold Mages, Jonathan Carr, Laura Perovich, Antonio Ocampo-Guzman, Moira Zellner and Angelique Motunrayo Folasade Akiya C-Dina

Estefania Ciliotta received the 2025 CAMD Outstanding Staff Award