Satyaki Roy

Professor Satyaki Roy is a faculty member at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, serving in the Department of Design and the Media Technology Centre. Since October 2001 he has been instrumental in establishing the Media Technology Centre and the 90.4 FM Community Radio Station on campus, and has founded the start-up Gestures Design and Media Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Education

• PhD, Kala Bhavana, Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan (2003–07)
• MFA, Kala Bhavana, Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan (1997–99)
• BFA, Kala Bhavana, Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan (1992–97)

Research & Creative Focus
Professor Roy’s research integrates visual communication, folk art & crafts, creativity, film-making, design thinking, and user-experience design. His work explores the intersection of traditional Indian aesthetics with contemporary design practice, employing visual ethnography, augmented-reality applications, and emotion-driven design methodologies to address challenges in education, urbanism, and sustainable craft livelihoods.

Publications Trajectory
Across 2021 alone, Roy co-authored four major journal and conference papers on themes ranging from commoditization of Gond art to emotion dynamics in design processes and visual literacy for children. Earlier works (2017–2015) concentrated on augmented-reality toolkits, urban visual perception methodologies, and empowerment of craft clusters, demonstrating a steady evolution from ethnographic documentation to actionable design interventions.

Honours & Patents

• National recognition for contributions to the NPTEL Phase I-II (2004–2014)
• Indian Patent 234987 – “The Drift-Battery Operated Campus Vehicle”
• Indian Patent 238758 – “Stair Climbing Wheel Chair”
• Best-paper recognition at the Design History Society Annual Conference, Barcelona

Advising & Grants
He has supervised 60+ M.Des theses and currently guides eight active PhD scholars in areas such as folk-painting aesthetics, emotion in design, sustainable pottery, assistive yoga tools, signage, and medical-device design. His projects have been funded by MHRD, MOE, DST, MIB, DMSRDE, UPPCL, NOKIA, JCBL and others, totalling more than 30 completed and ongoing initiatives in e-content creation, community radio, digital agriculture, and rural craft revitalisation.

Labs & Teams
Roy spearheads activities at the Media Technology Centre, the 90.4 FM Community Radio Station, and collaborates with the Design Programme at IIT Kanpur. These interdisciplinary hubs integrate design research, media production, and outreach to foster innovation in education, culture, and social development.