Jim Budd has been appointed as Chair of Georgia Tech’s School of Industrial Design. He brings 15 years of academic and research leadership in human-centered, interactive product design, as well as two decades of corporate design experience to the school. Most recently, he was associate professor of industrial and interaction design at Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, where he headed the Wearables and Interactive Products Lab.
 
Budd has taught both in the United States and Canada, including Georgia Tech from 1997 to 2001, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Carleton University, Ottawa, where he was instrumental in assisting with the development of a new graduate program in industrial design.
 
“We are so pleased Jim Budd has returned to Georgia Tech,” said Alan Balfour, dean of the College of Architecture, which houses the School of Industrial Design. “I am certain he has the right mix of experience and ambition to strengthen the school and to elevate the discipline of design throughout the Institute.”
 
“My short-term vision is to build on the new Oliver Professor of Practice in Design and Engineering to form creative collaborations across campus and to strengthen our ties with industry,” said Budd. “I also look forward to leading the faculty in a critical review of the curriculum to ensure graduates of our programs are highly competitive in the rapidly changing design industries.”
 
He has an extensive research and publication record and has received several design and teaching awards–most recently a Gold Award in the Concept Category in the IDSA Northwest Design Invitational for Kurio, a tangible interactive museum guide. His students also have won more than 12 national and international design awards, including five finalists and the winning submission for the Microsoft Next PC competition and first place in the Hydro Sustainable Design Competition.
 
Georgia Tech has a rich heritage in industrial design education spanning 50 years. Recently reorganized and renamed the School of Industrial Design, it is associated with the College of Architecture’s Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access (CATEA) and the Digital Fabrication Lab (AWPL).
 
Stephen Sprigle, professor of applied physiology and industrial design, served as interim chair and is credited with successfully recalibrating the school as the College of Architecture reorganized and providing the school with a solid foundation for growth. Sabir Khan, associate dean for undergraduate education in the College of Architecture, led the search committee.
 
Professor Budd holds a Master of Visual Arts with a major in industrial design from the University of Alberta and a Diploma of Applied Arts with a major in industrial design from Conestoga College. He completed undergraduate studies in systems design engineering and architecture before discovering the road to industrial design. He has been a member of Industrial Designers Society of America since 1989, and has held memberships and leadership positions in other design industry associations including being president of the Electronic Industry Association of Alberta.