Luis Vega
Doctor of Arts, Alumnus
Luis Vega is a design practitioner, researcher, and educator dedicated to bridging the gap between quality practice and rigorous research. His work concentrates on the methodological potential of collective acts of making for knowledge production in design.
During his time in Empirica, Luis collaborated in the MakerStudioPeda project and delved into processes of 'distributed thinking through making'—a term he coined to simultaneously articulate the topic of his doctoral thesis and a programmatic framework to study that and similar topics. The thesis contributes a methodological approach to conducting practice-led design research, specifically by delineating how to decenter the designer-researcher from the investigative process and account for the epistemic role of thinking with materials in collaborative and distributed design situations.
Luis teaches studio courses and research methodology at the BA, MA, and PhD levels. Previously, he directed the BA Design Program at Mexico City’s Tecnológico de Monterrey and held visiting researcher roles at different institutions. His projects have been awarded multiple prizes, published in leading peer-reviewed journals, presented in panels and conferences, and exhibited in galleries, museums, fairs, and biennials internationally.