Matthew Robb
Assistant Professor of Design and Sociology
Email
robbm@newschool.edu
Office Location
Parsons Faculty Hotseat
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Profile
Matthew Robb is an Assistant Professor of Design and Sociology, based in the School of Design Strategies at Parsons School of Design. His teaching and research focus on social and political dimensions of design, and on moral challenges posed by modern capitalism.
Matthew has held several leadership positions within the School of Design Strategies, including service as Associate Director of the MS Strategic Design and Management (2020-2024) as the School’s Associate Dean (2013-2016), and Director, BBA in Strategic Design and Management (2009-2013).
Matthew was Executive Director of The Journal of Design Strategies (2010-2021) and serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Design Service and Social Innovation. Matthew holds a PhD in Philosophy from The New School for Social Research (2005).
Recent Publications
“Design, Dialogue, Democracy: Post-truth and the Crisis of Political Participation,” Proceedings, Cumulus Nantes 2025 on Ethical Leadership: A New Frontier for Design (article appears on pp. 1636–1644).
“Indeterminacy and Agonism: Deweyan Reflections on Design Progress in the Age of AI” (co-authored with Lawrence Marcelle), Journal of Design Service and Social Innovation, Vol. 3, no. 4, Nov. 2025.
“Thinking Medium: A Design-based Critique of Nudge Theory” (co-authored with Lawrence Marcelle), Journal of Design Service and Social Innovation, Vol. 2, no. 3, Sep. 2024.
Guest editor, The Journal of Design Strategies Vol. 10, no. 1, Fall 2021: “The Design of Influence.”