John K. F. Irving AB ’83, MBA ’89 and Anne Irving Oxley established the John E. Irving Dean’s Innovation Fund in 2013 to honor the legacy of their father, John E. (Jack) Irving, and support the tradition of outstanding teaching and innovation at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

2025-2026 Overview

The Irving Innovation Fellowship offers students graduating with GSD master’s degrees an opportunity to extend their research and discovery in design, architecture, urban design, and landscape architecture and continue contributing to the School’s pedagogy and dialogue.

Number of Fellowships: 1

Theme: Generative AI in Design Education

Description: The 2025-2026 Irving Innovation Fellowship is dedicated to exploring generative artificial intelligence and its impact on teaching and learning at the GSD. Following the rapid advance of generative AI technology, faculty, administrators, and students at Harvard Schools and universities across the world have been facing difficult questions:

  • How might the skills and content in our curricula need to change to prepare students for an AI-equipped world? How might “prompt writing” become an essential component of education, and how will it change how we teach writing?
  • What tasks can we afford to replace with AI capabilities, and what tasks should not be outsourced?
  • How can we rethink academic integrity and the design of assignments and assessments to maximize learning and minimize inequity?
  • How do we set apart “creative” work from “generative” work, especially in the world of design education?

These questions will serve as a starting point for a wide field of inquiry and concerns. The fellow will work with a team of faculty advisors to advance exploration and discourse on generative AI across disciplines, practices, and programs. While the capabilities of AI are astounding, the goal of this initiative is not to highlight what AI can do but to better understand how its impact encourages (or forces) different, novel approaches to teaching and learning.

Applicants are asked to explain how they would address the above or related questions and how they would seek to engage the GSD community in their work. We encourage various experimental and analytical approaches that may produce tangible and non-tangible outcomes as well as events and programming at the School.

While the fellowship accepts applications from graduates of all of the School’s master’s programs, a keen interest in the histories of technology and design education is desirable.

Details

Eligibility

GSD master’s degree students graduating during the 2024/2025 academic year are invited to apply. Candidates must be authorized to work in the US and are responsible for securing a work authorization (e.g., OPT) if applicable. The GSD is unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position.

Duration

September ‘25 through May ‘26 (9 months)

Salary and Funding

Pending final budget approval, the fellow will be paid a monthly salary of ca. $5,416 for 30 hours of work per week for AY2025-2026, plus benefits. In addition, the fellow will be provided a $2,000 research fund for fellowship-related expenses.

Residence

The fellow is expected to reside within commuting distance from the GSD campus in Cambridge, MA, for the duration of the fellowship and be a part of the GSD’s in-person academic community. The position is eligible for remote work as arranged with the fellow’s supervisor/s.

Title and Appointment

The fellow will be internally appointed as a Research Associate (non-faculty academic appointment), and their official title will be “Irving Innovation Fellow and AI Research Associate.”

Supervision/Mentoring

The fellow receives mentorship and meets regularly with members of the fellowship committee and other collaborators from the GSD and across Harvard University. The 2025-2026 fellowship committee includes Martin Bechthold, Antoine Picon, Allen Sayegh, Ann Whiteside, and Sebastian Schmidt Dalzon (director, ex officio).

Outputs/Deliverables

Deliverables such as models, reports, presentations, exhibitions, public or non-public events, etc. are at the discretion of the fellow and fellowship committee, in consultation with the department chairs and the dean. Additionally, the fellow is required to provide information to the Communications department for a news feature on the GSD website.

Workspace

The fellow will be given desk space either in the studio areas (trays/485 Broadway) or in a shared office.

Applications

Process

Applications are accepted via online submission. The fellowship committee reviews all applications, interviews finalists, and recommends candidates to the dean before an offer is extended.

Timeline

  • Submission due date: Monday, March 10, 2025
  • Interviews: Late March 2025
  • Offer: April 2025

Materials

  • Letter of interest (up to 2 pages). Include your name, degree program, GSD, and permanent email addresses, as well as a brief overview of your background. Explain why you would be a good fit for next year’s fellowship theme. Your letter should detail how you would address the annual theme and engage the GSD community in your work and research, including any potential collaborations, events, or other programming.
  • Current curriculum vitae
  • Digital portfolio of relevant work, if applicable (up to 10 pages)
  • Contact information for three references who will be contacted after the initial review of application materials.

Basic Qualifications

  • Demonstrated interest, initiative, or experience related to generative artificial intelligence, the history of technology, and design pedagogy
  • Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to communicate with sensitivity and respect among diverse constituencies
  • Initiative and independence: ability to prioritize and execute multiple tasks and meet deadlines
  • Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, time management, and project management skills
  • Solid communication skills, both verbal and visual
  • Ability to handle sensitive, complex, confidential information with discretion

Current & Past Irving Innovation Fellows

AY2025: Mélanie Louterbach

AY2024: Amelia Gan (Material Time symposium)

AY2023: Laier-Rayshon Smith

AY2022: Alia Bader, Alex Yueyan Li, Sheng Zhao; Irving Instructional Technology Fellows are Jon Gregurick, Esesua Ikpefan, Kevin Liu, and Blake Mitchell

AY2021: Sarah Fayad, Isabella Frontado, Gia Jung, Ian Miley

AY2020: Inés Benítez Gómez, Mark Heller, Evan Shieh, John Wagner

AY2019: Ernest Haines, Hyojin Kwon, Enrique Aureng Silva, Youngjin Song (extended from AY2018)

AY2018: Xun Liu, Zahra Safaverdi, Caroline Smith, Youngjin Song

AY2017: Iman Fayyad and Alex Timmer