Nikolas Martelaro

Nikolas Martelaro is an Assistant Professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Human-Computer Interaction Institute (HCII), where he leads the Augmented Design Capability Studio. His work focuses on developing tools and methods that augment designers' capabilities through the integration of human-centered design principles and advanced computational technologies.

Dr. Martelaro received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford's Center for Design Research, where he was co-advised by Larry Leifer and Wendy Ju. He also holds a B.S. in Engineering Design from the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering. Before joining CMU, he worked as a researcher in the Digital Experiences group at the Accenture Technology Labs in San Francisco.

His research interests center around human-AI collaboration to support deeper design thought, with specific focus on reflective practice, designerly questioning, diagrammatic thinking, and analogical thinking. He develops tools to help creatives work better, with emphasis on systems for generating design artifacts and support for running successful creative businesses. His work also explores collaborative design methods to engage end-users throughout design and engineering processes, particularly in the context of automated physical systems. Current research spans automotive user experience, interaction with conversational music systems, semi-automated farm equipment, and new mobility technologies.

Recent publications demonstrate a strong trend toward leveraging AI to augment the design process, with particular emphasis on human-AI co-creation, analogical thinking, and supporting designers' reflective practices. His work spans multiple domains including visual design, engineering design, and human-robot interaction, showing how computational tools can enhance rather than replace human creativity and expertise.

• Best Paper Honorable Mention at CHI 2025 for 'BioSpark: Beyond Analogical Inspiration to LLM-augmented Transfer'

Dr. Martelaro actively mentors graduate students including Howie Wang, Frederic Gmeiner, David Chuan-en Lin, and Zeda Xu. His research is supported by collaborations with industry partners including the Toyota Research Institute, and he regularly presents his findings at leading conferences such as CHI, CSCW, and DIS. He teaches courses including 'The AI Augmented Designer' and 'Design of AI Products & Services,' emphasizing critical evaluation of AI tools in design practice.

He leads the Augmented Design Capability Studio, which brings together researchers from diverse backgrounds to explore how emerging technologies can augment human design capabilities. The studio's work focuses on developing interactive systems that enable designers to understand people, prototype new devices, and embed intelligence into products. Current projects include Inkspire (supporting design exploration with generative AI), VideoMap (reimagining video editing), Soundify (enhancing video sound design), and Jigsaw (prototyping multimodal applications by assembling AI foundation models).