Headshot of Daniel Rosenberg Munoz
Faculty

Daniel Rosenberg Muñoz

Assistant Professor
Headshot of Daniel Rosenberg Munoz

Daniel Rosenberg is an Assistant Professor in the School of Design at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). Designer, technologist, researcher, and educator, he works to build a more humane technology, through design processes and products that seek to recognize, celebrate, and cultivate people’s values and unique ways of living. 

Research 

Daniel is currently building a new research lab at CMU called Mindful Experience Design (MxD), a practice-based program that integrates mindful awareness theories and practices within the design process of next-generation interactive technologies. As such, MxD operates in the intersection between (I) the study of human experience within the design process, and (II) the actual hands-on development of advanced hardware-software implementations. Specifically, MxD develops philosophical and technical tools for designers to envision, enable, and co-create new meaningful physical-digital experiences taking place within environments. That is, experiences based on tangible, spatial, and distributed interactions that build on existing shared values and ways of living within a particular group of people or community. 

Through this agenda, MxD empowers designers by turning them into mindful practitioners and savvy technologists capable of actively contributing to solving the complex social and environmental issues of our time. 

Current MxD Projects: 

  • Mindful Vocabulary: Set of written descriptions for designers to attend, express, and think about human experience in design. 
  • Transformational Game: Playful exercise for designers to co-create with other people by building prototypes for them and then observing how they interact with the prototypes freely, in their own unique ways. 
  • Spatial IoT: Digital tool for designers to prototype distributed IoT systems within an environment. 
  • Present Materials: Natural/craft materials—wood, textile, ceramic, water—with embedded computation for designers to create tangible interactions in space and in response to local conditions. 

Background 

Daniel holds a PhD and a Master of Science in Design and Computation from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He has taught at RPI’s Center for Architecture Science and Ecology (CASE), NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP), and SVA’s Design for Social Innovation Program. He has also conducted over 20 design workshops with students and local communities in the US, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Taiwan, and India. His research work has been published internationally, including CAADRIA, CAAD Futures, ACSA, Dosya, and Footprint. 

In parallel to his academic background, Daniel has over 6 years of professional experience leading teams and collaborating with clients in the development of real-world projects for the tech industry. He was partner and Head of Design at Midnight Commercial, a design agency developing next-generation technological products and spaces, such as smart IoT devices, immersive art installations, and technology-mediated shopping experiences. In 2018 he also founded Phantasma, a design consultancy specializing in large-scale immersive/interactive environments for the arts, entertainment, and recreational industry. His clients include Target, Cartier, Cadillac, Gentex, the New York Times, and TSG Entertainment.

Courses 

Daniel teaches design studios and is currently developing new theoretical and technical courses and electives within the Environments track. His studios and courses are aligned with his research interests, exploring how to design humane technologies through a deep understanding of both the experience and the technology. Overall, his courses aim to contribute to the school’s efforts in providing students with the mindsets, skills, and tools to conceive and execute positive societal and environmental transformations through design.