Biography

Harpreet is an Assistant Professor of Interaction and Media Design at Parsons School of Design. His research is situated at the intersection of Material Science, Biology, and Electronics, drawing on the complementary abilities of the biological and artificial worlds. He terms this as 'Convergent Design' and creates cutting-edge bionic materials and hybrid substrates that lend themselves to future ecological machinery, sensing systems, and interaction design.

Harpreet earned a graduate degree in Media Arts and Sciences from the MIT Media Lab and has previously lived and worked in Austria, India, Japan, Paris, Singapore, and the USA. He is currently an Honorary Fellow at the Berggruen Institute (Los Angeles) and an INK Fellow (India), collaborating with intellectuals across cultural and political boundaries. .

Harpreet's experience spans corporate research wings, studios, museums, and academic centers. He has previously worked at Google Creative Lab, Microsoft Research, MIT Media Lab, Ars Electronica Museum, National University of Singapore, Keio University, Telecom Paris, The University of Tokyo, and more. He has previously been named an MIT Technology Review Under 35 Innovator and has received awards including CHI Golden Mouse, Edison Gold, SXSW Interactive Innovation, Fast Company World Changing Ideas, among other accolades. His academic work has been published in peer-reviewed conferences like CHI, DIS, TEI, IEEE VR, and other human-computer interaction venues.

Harpreet's artwork has been showcased at Ars Electronica Festival, Somerset House, CID Grand Hornu, Garden Museum (Somerset, UK), Tower Hill Botanic Gardens, MIT Museum, among several other venues. He serves as an advisor to venture-backed start-ups developing technologies for plant science and has also been solicited for advice by government offices, including the Abu Dhabi Executive Office. He has been invited to TEDx venues, INK Talks, and regularly lectures internationally at universities and innovation centers.