Nikolas Martelaro

Hi, I'm Nik. I am an Assistant Professor at Carnegie Mellon's Human-Computer Interaction Institute. My research seeks to augment designers' capabilities so that we can best leverage human capacity and computation to solve society's toughest problems. My research approach integrates cutting-edge technologies, but always with a foundational understanding of designers and how we think and act. This research activity informs my educational mission to teach future designers how to work creatively and critically so they can solve complex, open-ended design challenges. My work spans design domains, blending hardware, software, and interaction design. Before moving to the HCII, I was a researcher in the Digital Experiences group at the Accenture Technology Labs. I graduated with my Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford's Center for Design Research, where I was co-advised by Larry Leifer and Wendy Ju. I graduated with my B.S. in Engineering Design from the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering.