speakers 2024
speakers 2024
speakers 2024
Morning speakers
Morning speakers
Morning speakers
Petros Babasikas
Petros Babasikas
Petros Babasikas
(he/him)
(he/him)
(he/him)
Architect and Director of the Honours Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies at University of Toronto & Principle at Babasikas OFFICE
Architect and Director of the Honours Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies at University of Toronto & Principle at Babasikas OFFICE
Architect and Director of the Honours Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies at University of Toronto & Principle at Babasikas OFFICE
Petros Babasikas is a Toronto-based architect, educator and Director of the Honours Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies program at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design. With a passion for public space, global housing, urban renewal, and DIY urbanism, he explores the intricate dance between the intersection of design with the liberal arts, global leadership, storytelling, media, and community engagement. As founder of Babasikas OFFICE (based in Athens and Toronto), his award-winning installations and art exhibitions invite dialogue and reflection, weaving narratives into the fabric of public life. His work has graced international stages, and his writings resonate across borders. Petros holds a BA from Columbia University and a MArch from Princeton. He is also an Associate Member of the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences and serves as vice-Chair of UWC Greece, embodying a commitment to creativity and collaboration.
Petros Babasikas is a Toronto-based architect, educator and Director of the Honours Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies program at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design. With a passion for public space, global housing, urban renewal, and DIY urbanism, he explores the intricate dance between the intersection of design with the liberal arts, global leadership, storytelling, media, and community engagement. As founder of Babasikas OFFICE (based in Athens and Toronto), his award-winning installations and art exhibitions invite dialogue and reflection, weaving narratives into the fabric of public life. His work has graced international stages, and his writings resonate across borders. Petros holds a BA from Columbia University and a MArch from Princeton. He is also an Associate Member of the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences and serves as vice-Chair of UWC Greece, embodying a commitment to creativity and collaboration.
Jeremy Joachim
Jeremy Joachim
Jeremy Joachim
(he/him)
(he/him)
(he/him)
Senior Experience Designer in Adobe's Generative AI team
Senior Experience Designer in Adobe's Generative AI team
Senior Experience Designer in Adobe's Generative AI team
Jeremy Joachim is a Senior Experience Designer at Adobe, specializing in Generative AI. With over a decade of experience spanning creative technology, design prototyping, and emerging technologies, Jeremy has been at the forefront of shaping how cutting-edge innovations like AI integrate into the creative process. At Adobe, he works on a multidisciplinary team exploring how to create intuitive, empathetic, and empowering experiences for creators of all kinds.
Jeremy will delve into a topic at the heart of his work, with his talk “What If? How Emerging Technology Can Foster Creativity.” He will explore how AI and other technologies can enhance our creative potential, answering the question of how we can leverage these tools to inspire new ways of thinking and creating. He will also shed light on potential challenges, examining the delicate balance between human creativity and technological advancement.
Jeremy Joachim is a Senior Experience Designer at Adobe, specializing in Generative AI. With over a decade of experience spanning creative technology, design prototyping, and emerging technologies, Jeremy has been at the forefront of shaping how cutting-edge innovations like AI integrate into the creative process. At Adobe, he works on a multidisciplinary team exploring how to create intuitive, empathetic, and empowering experiences for creators of all kinds.
Jeremy will delve into a topic at the heart of his work, with his talk “What If? How Emerging Technology Can Foster Creativity.” He will explore how AI and other technologies can enhance our creative potential, answering the question of how we can leverage these tools to inspire new ways of thinking and creating. He will also shed light on potential challenges, examining the delicate balance between human creativity and technological advancement.
Allison Wong
Allison Wong
Allison Wong
(she/her)
(she/her)
(she/her)
Community Engagement Manager for Designing Justice + Designing Spaces
Community Engagement Manager for Designing Justice + Designing Spaces
Community Engagement Manager for Designing Justice + Designing Spaces
Allison Wong is the Community Engagement Manager at Designing Justice + Designing Spaces (DJDS). Allison is dedicated to creating inclusive, inspiring, and restorative design processes that transform the built environment. With her certification as a Public Participation Professional (CP3), she has extensive experiences engaging communities in both the public and private sectors.
Allison holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Industrial Design from the Rhode Island School of Design and a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies from Brown University. She is passionate about integrating restorative justice principles into architectural design, working tirelessly to help end mass incarceration by reimagining justice spaces.
Before joining DJDS, Allison served as a Design Strategist at Gensler, where she led initiatives in change management and experience design. She currently resides in Los Angeles with her dog, Radar, and guinea pig, Dusty.
Allison Wong is the Community Engagement Manager at Designing Justice + Designing Spaces (DJDS). Allison is dedicated to creating inclusive, inspiring, and restorative design processes that transform the built environment. With her certification as a Public Participation Professional (CP3), she has extensive experiences engaging communities in both the public and private sectors.
Allison holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Industrial Design from the Rhode Island School of Design and a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies from Brown University. She is passionate about integrating restorative justice principles into architectural design, working tirelessly to help end mass incarceration by reimagining justice spaces.
Before joining DJDS, Allison served as a Design Strategist at Gensler, where she led initiatives in change management and experience design. She currently resides in Los Angeles with her dog, Radar, and guinea pig, Dusty.
afternoon speakers
afternoon speakers
afternoon speakers
Mindy Seu
Mindy Seu
Mindy Seu
(she/they)
(she/they)
(she/they)
Associate Professor, UCLA Department of Design Media Arts
Associate Professor, UCLA Department of Design Media Arts
Associate Professor, UCLA Department of Design Media Arts
Mindy Seu is a designer and technologist based in New York City and Los Angeles, currently teaching as an Associate Professor at University of California, Los Angeles in the Department of Design Media Arts. She is the authoring editor of the Cyberfeminism Index. Her expanded practice explores feminist economies, historical precursors of the metaverse, and the materiality of the internet through archival projects, techno-critical writing, performance lectures, and design commissions. In this immersive performance lecture, Mindy shares a sexual history of the internet, from the computer mouse as vulva to device-mediated relationships through the use of an instagram story slideshow.
Mindy Seu is a designer and technologist based in New York City and Los Angeles, currently teaching as an Associate Professor at University of California, Los Angeles in the Department of Design Media Arts. She is the authoring editor of the Cyberfeminism Index. Her expanded practice explores feminist economies, historical precursors of the metaverse, and the materiality of the internet through archival projects, techno-critical writing, performance lectures, and design commissions. In this immersive performance lecture, Mindy shares a sexual history of the internet, from the computer mouse as vulva to device-mediated relationships through the use of an instagram story slideshow.
Bona Kim
Bona Kim
Bona Kim
(she/her)
(she/her)
(she/her)
Senior Product Designer at Sonos
Senior Product Designer at Sonos
Senior Product Designer at Sonos
Bona Kim is a Senior Product Designer at Sonos. Bona develops scalable frameworks for the content experience in the Sonos ecosystem. Her day-to-day work involves ideating solutions that enhance the listening experience, collaborating closely with internal stakeholders and external partners. Bona studied Industrial Design at RISD. Her background in industrial design informs her creative thinking and design decisions at the intersection of hardware, software, and service.
Bona Kim is a Senior Product Designer at Sonos. Bona develops scalable frameworks for the content experience in the Sonos ecosystem. Her day-to-day work involves ideating solutions that enhance the listening experience, collaborating closely with internal stakeholders and external partners. Bona studied Industrial Design at RISD. Her background in industrial design informs her creative thinking and design decisions at the intersection of hardware, software, and service.
MIT Media Lab: Community Biotechnology Initiative
MIT Media Lab: Community Biotechnology Initiative
MIT Media Lab: Community Biotechnology Initiative
David S. Kong
David S. Kong
David S. Kong
(he/him)
(he/him)
(he/him)
Director and Research Scientist
Director and Research Scientist
Director and Research Scientist
David Sun Kong, Ph.D. is a synthetic biologist, bio designer, community organizer, musician, and photographer based in Lexington, MA. He is the Director of the MIT Media Lab’s Community Biotechnology Initiative. His research explores the multidisciplinary domains of synthetic biology, biological design and art, collective intelligence and movement building, and STEAM learning.
David Sun Kong, Ph.D. is a synthetic biologist, bio designer, community organizer, musician, and photographer based in Lexington, MA. He is the Director of the MIT Media Lab’s Community Biotechnology Initiative. His research explores the multidisciplinary domains of synthetic biology, biological design and art, collective intelligence and movement building, and STEAM learning.
David Sun Kong, Ph.D. is a synthetic biologist, bio designer, community organizer, musician, and photographer based in Lexington, MA. He is the Director of the MIT Media Lab’s Community Biotechnology Initiative. His research explores the multidisciplinary domains of synthetic biology, biological design and art, collective intelligence and movement building, and STEAM learning.
Zoe Lee
Zoe Lee
Zoe Lee
(she/her)
(she/her)
(she/her)
Design Strategist and Research
Design Strategist and Research
Design Strategist and Research
Annie Chen
Annie Chen
Annie Chen
(she/her)
(she/her)
(she/her)
Research Affilitate
Research Affilitate
Research Affilitate
Annie Chen and Zoe Lee are the founders of BEAM, a climate transition design studio that works between communities, companies, and governing bodies to develop innovative and equitable climate action strategies.
Annie Chen and Zoe Lee are the founders of BEAM, a climate transition design studio that works between communities, companies, and governing bodies to develop innovative and equitable climate action strategies.
Annie Chen and Zoe Lee are the founders of BEAM, a climate transition design studio that works between communities, companies, and governing bodies to develop innovative and equitable climate action strategies.
David Sun Kong, Ph.D. is a synthetic biologist, bio designer, community organizer, musician, and photographer based in Lexington, MA. He is the Director of the MIT Media Lab’s Community Biotechnology Initiative. His research explores the multidisciplinary domains of synthetic biology, biological design and art, collective intelligence and movement building, and STEAM learning.
Annie Chen and Zoe Lee are the founders of BEAM, a climate transition design studio that works between communities, companies, and governing bodies to develop innovative and equitable climate action strategies.
Together, David, Annie, and Zoe will explore a question central to their current project in coral restoration: what does a collaboration look like between synthetic biology, community organizing, and design? What is the future of design in an increasingly entangled world?
Together, David, Annie, and Zoe will explore a question central to their current project in coral restoration: what does a collaboration look like between synthetic biology, community organizing, and design? What is the future of design in an increasingly entangled world?
Together, David, Annie, and Zoe will explore a question central to their current project in coral restoration: what does a collaboration look like between synthetic biology, community organizing, and design? What is the future of design in an increasingly entangled world?
