Matt Easterday

Matt Easterday is an Assistant Professor in the Learning Sciences Department at Northwestern University's School of Education and Social Policy, co-directing the Delta Lab. He holds a PhD in Human-Computer Interaction from Carnegie Mellon University (2010), preceded by an MS in the same field and a BA in Psychology and Mathematics from Reed College.

His research focuses on technology-enhanced civic education, aiming to develop evidence-based tools that foster informed citizenship capable of addressing societal challenges like climate change and inequality. Core areas include deliberation systems, cognitive games for policy analysis, and platforms like The Loft and NextGenIL for collaborative civic innovation.

Easterday's work emphasizes design research methodologies, bridging theory and practice through frameworks like the 'Design Risks Framework' and 'Research Slices.' His projects integrate iterative design, participatory governance, and scalable learning networks to address real-world policy problems.

• Awards: Siebel Scholar, Searle Center Fellow, Ver Steeg Advising Award
• Labs/Teams: Delta Lab (civic tech innovation), The Loft (online learning platform)

He advocates for human-centered design in education, advancing tools like Critiki for formative feedback and StandUp for professional coaching in project-based learning.