Joshua McVeigh-Schultz

Joshua McVeigh-Schultz is an Associate Professor in the Department of Visual Communication Design at San Francisco State University. His research bridges design, anthropology, and media studies, focusing on speculative design, ritual, and emerging technologies. He holds a PhD in Media Arts and Practice from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, an MFA from UC Santa Cruz, and degrees from UC Berkeley and the University of Chicago.

His work explores the intersection of ritual and technology, with projects like the Sloan-funded LoveLog short film and investigations into social VR design through collaborations with Steelcase and Intel Labs. He has published widely on topics including immersive design, affordance theory, and civic media.

Key contributions include developing 'immersive design fiction' methodologies and studying interaction rituals in virtual environments. Awards include an Intel PhD Fellowship (2013) and recognition for his design research in social VR interfaces. McVeigh-Schultz has also contributed to academic platforms like Culture Digitally and worked in industry with Microsoft Research and the Institute for the Future.

His teaching and research emphasize bridging speculative design with practical applications, often using VR to prototype future social systems and mediate human relationships through technology.