Mehrnaz Amouei

Mehrnaz Amouei is a speculative designer and educator based in Chicago whose work bridges industrial design, UX/UI, programming, and engineering to create emotionally intelligent interactions between humans and machines. Her research-driven practice explores how design can nurture trust and companionship through soft robotics, biomimicry, emotional AI, and immersive technologies such as XR and AR. At UIC and Northeastern Illinois University, she integrates her creative practice into teaching, guiding students in design drawing, interactivity, and coding with machine learning. Beyond academia, she works as a multimedia, UX, and industrial designer, developing cross-disciplinary projects that blend craft, computation, and cultural storytelling. Her work has been recognized by the International Design Awards (IDA) and CCC Award and in Dezeen School Shows and exhibitions across Chicago.