Fernando Galdon

Fernando's design practice experiments with the use of design, art, sociology, science and technology as mediums to reconfigure processes and systems of production to question the social, cultural, ethical and political context in which they operate.

His MSc in Cognitive Computing researched emotional pattern recognition through EEG sensor-dry technology to foresee the relationships between emotions and memory. This work led to an AHRC studentship award to further his expertise on the intersection of neuroscience and design. His MRes focused on redefining the use of Neuroscience in design practice from a socially interactive perspective. It addressed the ethical implications for society of accessing subconscious information and proposed, through practice, technological implementation focused on improving well-being, social interaction and self-knowledge (neuro-ethnography). In the process, it set up the foundations for the humanities to integrate neuroscience in design practice. 

Currently, he is pursuing a doctoral programme in Global Innovation Design at the RCA, where he is investigating trust design at the intersection of artificial intelligence and society. This research has been published and presented internationally at conferences at MIT, The University of Cambridge, The University of Manchester or the University of Côte d'Azur. 

As part of his research, he has developed novel methodologies in design practice, such as prospective design. These future-led, mixed-methods incorporate trajectories, probabilistic extrapolation, asymmetries, consequential analysis and counter-fictions to design novel strategies to mitigate unintended consequences in prospective technological developments.