Raffi Tchakerian

EN

Raffi Tchakerian is a designer, researcher, and educator with vast experience in several fields of design amongst which aerospace, aviation, robotics, product, humanitarian and interaction design. He has acquired the ability to transform thoughts into tangible solutions made possible thanks to cross-fertilizations, spin-in’s and spin-off’s between these various fields, with the goal of improving the interactions between humans, tools and technologies they use as their extensions, and the environments in which they live with which they interact. Graduated in Industrial Design at the Iuav University of Venice in 2008, followed by a Masters in Product Design in 2010 with honors with a final thesis project on aerospace design. Starting from his graduate degree years until 2015 he collaborates with the international design studio Architecture and Vision and the Space Architects Arturo Vittori and Andreas Vogler, contributing to design projects of different natures and scales ranging from the deserts to space developed inside the studio. After his master’s degree, Tchakerian becomes a Ph.D. candidate in Design Sciences at the Iuav School of Doctoral Studies, graduating with honors with a final dissertation on aerospace design in 2014. Since 2009 Tchakerian has taught several courses and workshops in Italy, San Marino, the USA, Ethiopia, Kuwait, and Lebanon.

In 2018, Tchakerian moves to Dubai becoming one of the founding faculty members at the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation where he currently teaches. Some of his tasks include creating the Foundation program in collaboration with MIT and Parsons, creating the advanced 3rd year Product Design workshop “Design and Manufacture” which currently focuses on robotic manufacturing, managing the setup of the Fab Lab with its tools and machinery, including a Kuka KR-150 Robotic Arm. He is currently the Head of Robotics Research Department and focuses on research of Additive Manufacturing for In-situ resource utilization, he is also the coordinator of the Thesis Program since 2021.