Biography

Sven Travis is a visionary educator, designer, and researcher, best known as the founding Dean of the School of Art, Media, and Technology at Parsons School of Design, where he has taught and led initiatives for more than 35 years. Throughout his career, he has shaped the future of design education, founding the BFA and MFA programs in Design & Technology and serving in leadership roles including Director of Advanced Computing, Chair of the Digital Design Department (which he founded), Director of the Center for New Design (which he co-founded), and Associate Provost for Technology R&D at The New School.

Travis’s work reflects a passion for building collaborative ecosystems that blend art, design, and technology. His research spans computational media, machine learning, interactive systems, and social innovation. Internationally, he has forged deep partnerships, particularly in China, collaborating with Tsinghua University, Tongji University, the Central Academy of Fine Arts, the China Academy of Art, and co-founding the Creativity and AI Lab at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, where he serves as a distinguished professor.

A prolific innovator, Travis has developed and led a wide range of research initiatives, including the Quantum Innovation Lab (applying quantum computing to art and design), the OpenFrameworks Lab (a hub for open-source creative coding), and projects such as Crazy Baldhead (neural networks and fuzzy logic in interactive media), GASOLINE ENGINE (a social technology platform), and SALTED/UNSALTED (a virtual fabrication lab on game consoles). His decade-long Open Society Foundation Fellowships have connected design students with NGOs across Africa, India, and Eastern Europe, using information design to drive global impact.

Educated at the Rhode Island School of Design and New York Polytechnic University, Travis continues to push boundaries in design, technology, and social change—while proudly remaining a lifelong Green Bay Packers fan and a resident of Rensselaerville, New York.