Northeastern University

Katia Zolotovsky is an Assistant Professor at Northeastern University the Art + Design Department with a joint appointment in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. She is an architect and a biologist and holds a Ph.D. in Design and Computation from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). At Northeastern, Katia’s is directing the BioInteractive Design lab (BInD) on the intersection of design and science. Her research group brings together designers, scientists, and engineers to explore how to scale up lab technologies to design biologically active materials, devices, wearables, and building components for human and environmental health. In her research she combines methods of computational design, digital fabrication, materials science, and biotechnology. Her work has been supported by national grants such as the NSF Division of Materials Research, Somerson Sustainability Innovation Fund, and NSF’s Coastal Ecology Assessment Innovation and Modeling.

Avantika Velho is the co-founder of BIOPOD Co. and is currently a biodesigner and researcher at Northeastern University’s BioInteractive Design Lab. Previously, she was the Lead Biodesigner and Strategist at Terreform ONE, a Brooklyn-based socio-ecological design research group. Her nature-centric, scale-agnostic approach to design encompasses regenerative systems for future cities, living architecture, lunar dust mitigation technologies, self-cleaning biomaterials, and numerous physical and digital products for clients such as CVS, Google, NASA, and Hyundai Motors. Avantika graduated with honors from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) with a BFA in Industrial Design, concentrating in Nature-Culture-Sustainability Studies. She has received numerous recognitions, including the Rachel Carson Environmental Award for sustainability, the Maharam STEAM Fellowship, and the Hyundai Research and Innovation Fellowship. Her work has been supported by the Sustainable Market Initiative’s Terra Carta Design Lab, the Somerson Sustainability Innovation Fund, and organizations like the National Endowment of the Arts and NSF.

Anastasiia Raina is a biodesigner, researcher, and educator. She earned her MFA from the Yale School of Art and now serves as an Associate Professor at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where she also coordinates the interdisciplinary Nature–Culture–Sustainability Studies (NCSS) concentration, supporting over 200 students across 17 departments engaged in biodesign and sustainable futures. Her work investigates the aesthetics of technologically mediated nature, inspiring new imaginaries that challenge our relationship to nature, technology, and humanity. In close collaboration with scientists, she transforms scientific research into visual language and develops novel frameworks for science communication that engage broader audiences. Anastasiia has exhibited internationally in New York, Los Angeles, Shanghai, Seoul, presented her research and served as a visiting critic at institutions including Yale, Columbia, Stanford, USC, UCLA, Parsons, Pratt, CalArts, Otis, and MICA. Her work has been supported by grants from the Hyundai Motor Group, the Somerson Sustainability Innovation Fund, the NEW INC + Science Sandbox Grant, and NSF’s STAC Collaborative Research Grant.