Lan Yu

Lan Yu serves as Adjunct Professor and Director of the Graduate Industrial Design program at ArtCenter College of Design since 2016, leveraging her dual expertise as both alumna (MS, 2013) and industry veteran to shape graduate education.

Education:

• Bachelor of Industrial Design, Beijing Institute of Technology
• Master of Science in Industrial Design, ArtCenter College of Design (2013)

Her professional trajectory spans nearly a decade as design lead and brand manager at Tsinghua Tongfang, where she incubated tech startups, followed by pioneering China's Formula E student competition (growing to 15+ universities) and co-creating ArtCenter's Create Change design forums across Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Qingdao (2014-2019). As a consultant, she has driven projects for Xiaomi, Google, Bank of China, China Daily, and entertainment giants like Hero Entertainment and Omnijoi Film.

Research interests center on industrial design applications in sustainable mobility systems, socially-driven design innovation, and cross-industry branding/UX strategies—evidenced by her Formula E leadership and Create Change forums—which she integrates into thesis mentorship for graduate students.

Instructionally, Professor Yu guides capstone development through M3-M6 thesis studios (IND-557, IND-681, IND-682), term reviews (IND-550, IND-600), and workshops (IND-670, IND-672), connecting academic rigor with real-world industry challenges via her extensive corporate network.