RCA Appoints Jonathan Antonio Edelman Head of Global Innovation Design
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Jonathan Edelman
Jonathan Edelman
In 2015, Dr Edelman was appointed Associate Visiting Professor in Mechanical Engineering at Stanford, and has active research ties to Stanfords’s Center for Design Research. Previously, Dr Edelman served as an active faculty member of Stanford University as Lecturer in the Department of Art and Art History from 2007 to 2012; Consulting Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering from 2012 through 2014; and as Director of Interdisciplinary Design at Stanford’s Product Realization Lab in 2014. Visiting Professorships have included those at Politecnico di Milano, Italy and Grenoble Institute of Technology, France.
Currently Senior Tutor on the Design Products programme, Dr Edelman joined the Royal College of Art in January 2015. He received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University’s Center for Design Research and holds a Master of Fine Arts in Product Design from Stanford University’s Joint Program in Design.
Dr Edelman has created collaborations for learning and design in cooperation with students and faculty in the humanities, arts, and sciences, as well as creating partnerships to bring design and design thinking to schools. Dr Edelman founded design product and strategy consultancy Pantograph Design Associates in 2008, with commercial projects ranging from large-scale energy production to hand-held medical devices, from early stage prototyping to manufacturing.
Professor Naren Barfield, Pro-Rector said: “This is excellent news for the RCA. Jonathan’s cross disciplinary academic experience, coupled with his research on radical innovation and his professional experience as a designer, consultant and speaker will enable him to make significant contributions to Global Innovation Design as head of programme. Jonathan has the international outlook and collaborative approach that will enable GID to expand with additional partners in more countries around the world.” He further added, "I would like to place on record my thanks to Professor Miles Pennington, for his vision to create GID, and his leadership in establishing it in its first years. I am delighted Miles will continue to run our highly successful MA/MSc in Innovation Design Engineering with Imperial College."
Dean of the School of Design Professor Dale Harrow said: “A highly experienced academic researcher and teacher, Jonathan has also been involved in a wide range of commercial enterprises in many different capacities – as designer, innovator and entrepreneur. I’m therefore delighted that he has agreed to serve as head of GID, and in doing so, join the School of Design Leadership Team.”
Dr Jonathan Antonio Edelman said: “I am honoured to have been chosen to serve as Head of Programme of Global Innovation Design. I am looking forward to engaging with the students and faculty of GID as well as our esteemed world partners. It is my intention to continue to build upon Miles Pennington's robust foundation for this visionary design programme. GID will continue to develop outstanding designers and researchers, whose radical, relevant, and rigorous work reaches across geographic and disciplinary borders.”
The appointment represents the conclusion of an international search. Dr Edelman will take up his new position in January 2016.