The Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis has named Andrew Witt the inaugural Kavita and Krishna Bharat Professor, a role that focuses on the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) with art, architecture and design, effective Jan. 1. The professorship includes a joint appointment at the McKelvey School of Engineering.
Witt will lead university efforts in AI and design, integrating emerging technologies into both academic and studio experiences and developing new courses and research frameworks that shape the future of design education and practice. He will teach interdisciplinary studio and seminar courses in AI, computational design and geometry in both schools and will serve as core faculty for the Sam Fox School's new Master of Design for Human-Computer Interaction and Emerging Technology.
"I'm very excited for Andrew to join our faculty as the first Bharat Professor and lead our efforts to advance creative research and learning opportunities in AI," said Carmon Colangelo, the school's Ralph J. Nagel Dean and the E. Desmond Lee Professor for Collaboration in the Arts. "Andrew's teaching experience, practice and research interests - rooted in architecture, design and mathematics - are perfectly aligned with our goals for this unique position. His work operates at the cutting edge and at the intersections of architecture, art, design and engineering."
A co-founder of the creative studio Certain Measures, Witt is internationally known for his scholarship on design and technology. He has been on the faculty of Harvard University's Graduate School of Design since 2010, most recently as associate professor in practice in architecture. He is co-director of Harvard's Master in Design Engineering and the founder and director of the school's Geometry Lab, which explores the intersection of design and the science of shape and form.
