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Design Fusion x _____________

Residencies & Collaborating Visitors

Bringing New Voices to Design at Carnegie Mellon

The Center for Design Fusion Residencies & Collaborating Visitors Program invites academics, industry practitioners, alumni, and creative leaders to engage with the Carnegie Mellon design community through meaningful collaboration, intellectual exchange, and shared inquiry. The program is designed to foster new partnerships while advancing research, teaching, creative practice, and innovation. Visiting collaborators bring their own funding and a clearly defined agenda for engagement, outlining both the impact on their professional development and their anticipated contributions to the broader CMU community.

Explore. Discover. Design.

Whether developing new research, exploring emerging areas of practice, mentoring students, or building interdisciplinary partnerships, visitors become part of a vibrant ecosystem that connects design, technology, culture, and society. This provides a catalyst for design fusion—bringing together diverse expertise, perspectives, and methods to address complex challenges and imagine preferred futures.

Program Goals

Participants in the program will:

  • Engage in intellectual exchange with faculty, students, and other visitors.
  • Develop new collaborations and partnerships across Carnegie Mellon University.
  • Contribute to the Center through research, teaching, workshops, lectures, or creative practice.
  • Explore new opportunities for interdisciplinary innovation and impact.
  • Expand professional networks within CMU and the Pittsburgh innovation community. 
Will Martin at a whiteboard
Will Martin, PhD researcher, visualizing complex systems and mapping relationships.

Opportunities for Industry Partners, Faculty Colleagues, PhD Researchers and Postdocs

Industry collaborators can leverage the Design Fusion network to connect with faculty, researchers, and students across Carnegie Mellon.

Benefits include:

  • Access to a rigorous and creative research environment.
  • Opportunities to explore emerging challenges and future-focused design approaches.
  • Collaboration with faculty and students on research, innovation, and strategic initiatives.
  • Development of new partnerships that bridge industry practice, scholarship, and education.
  • Engagement with a community of leading thinkers and makers working across disciplines. 

The program offers a unique opportunity to discover new directions for collaboration while embedding industry perspectives within a dynamic academic setting.

Robert Bollinger giving a lecture
Robert Bollinger (ID ’89), speaking on the history and future of Bollinger Motors at the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship.

Opportunities for Alumni

Our no-cost residency program provides a pathway to reconnect with the School of Design through the Center for Design Fusion and re-engage with the Carnegie Mellon experience.

Residencies may support alumni who wish to:

  • Explore new creative or professional directions.
  • Develop research or independent projects.
  • Collaborate with faculty, students, and fellow alumni.
  • Recharge and reflect within a stimulating intellectual environment.
  • Investigate career transitions or emerging areas of practice. 

Alumni collaborators will work closely with program leadership to establish a project plan, schedule, and outcomes that align with both their goals and the mission of the School of Design. Previous Collaborating Visitors include J. Craig Thorp (ID ’70) conceptual renderer and landscape painter and Robert Bollinger (ID ’89) founder of Bollinger Motors. 

Expectations

Applicants should demonstrate a clear plan for engagement and collaboration during their residency.

Visitors are expected to:

  • Propose a project, research agenda, or engagement plan that aligns with the School of Design, the Ballay Center for Design Fusion, the Transition Design Institute, and/or related CMU initiatives.
  • Identify opportunities for collaboration with faculty, students, and other campus partners.
  • Secure funding to support project materials and related expenses.
  • Contribute meaningfully to the intellectual and creative life of the Ballay Center for Design Fusion and the School of Design. 
Rooms from the Ballay Center

A comfortable space to explore, discover, and design.

Program Support

The Center for Design Fusion will provide:

  • Workspace and access to appropriate facilities and laboratories, as available.
  • Connections to faculty, researchers, and campus collaborators.
  • Guidance in navigating the university environment.
  • Support in helping visitors establish themselves in Pittsburgh, including coordination with relevant university offices for international visitors. 
A student adding post it notes to a board
MDes student and researcher  Jay Moon works with Dr. Daniel Rosenberg-Muñoz in a shared research cluster.

Funding & Administrative Requirements

Please note:

  • Visitors are responsible for their own travel, housing, and living expenses.
  • Participants may be required to cover applicable administrative fees.
  • All visitors must have confirmed financial support before beginning their residency.
  • International visitors must comply with all university and governmental requirements related to visas, export controls, and visitor appointments.

How to Apply

We welcome inquiries from scholars, practitioners, industry leaders, and alumni whose work aligns with the Center’s mission and values.

For more information or to discuss a potential residency, please contact the Joseph Ballay Center for Design Fusion.