Marcelo Coelho

Marcelo Coelho is a Design Tech Innovation Fellow and Visiting Lecturer at Cornell University's Department of Design Tech within the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning. He is also a Lecturer at the MIT Department of Architecture and Director of the MIT Design Intelligence Lab. His interdisciplinary work bridges artificial intelligence, industrial design, and human-computer interaction, with a focus on physical expression and collaboration between humans and machines.

• Ph.D., MIT Media Lab
• Faculty, MIT Department of Architecture
• Director, MIT Design Intelligence Lab
• Design Tech Innovation Fellow, Cornell University

Marcelo Coelho's research centers on Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Interaction Design, and Industrial Design. His work explores how computation can be embodied in physical forms to enable new modes of creative expression and interaction. He investigates the materiality of computation through installations, products, and large-scale performances that merge art, technology, and design. Projects such as Six-Forty by Four-Eighty and Resolution explore redefining digital pixels in physical space, while Window to the Heart and Beyond Vision demonstrate how computation can transform public experiences.

His recent publications reflect a strong trend in physical AI and generative design, particularly in creating intelligent objects and environments that respond to human interaction. Themes include tangible interfaces, crowd-driven assembly, and shape-changing technologies, indicating a trajectory toward more embodied, situated, and collaborative forms of artificial intelligence in design contexts.

Marcelo Coelho has received numerous accolades for his innovative work, including:

• Prix Ars Electronica awards (multiple)
• Design Miami/ Designer of the Future Award (2010)
• Red Dot Design Award
• Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Award
• Core77 Design Awards (2021, 2014)
• AIGA 50 Books | 50 Covers (2020)
• Webby Honoree (2020)
• Times Square Valentine Heart Design Winner (2018)

He has led design initiatives at Formlabs as Head of Design, directing an international team across disciplines including industrial design, software, and mechanical engineering. His work has been exhibited globally at venues such as the Rio 2016 Paralympics, Times Square, Ars Electronica, and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. He collaborates with artists like Vik Muniz and Aranda\Lasch, and his projects often involve public participation and community engagement. His labs and teams, particularly the MIT Design Intelligence Lab, focus on experimental design research at the intersection of computation and physicality.