Barry Kudrowitz

Barry Kudrowitz is an assistant professor and director of product design at the University of Minnesota. He received his PhD from the Mechanical Engineering Department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), studying humor, creativity, and idea generation. Kudrowitz co-designed a Nerf toy, an elevator simulator that is in operation at the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C., and a ketchup-dispensing robot that was featured on the Martha Stewart Show.

Since 2008, Barry has presented his work on creativity, humor, play and design as a speaker and workshop coordinator. He has shared his thoughts, process, and findings for industry (including Target, 3M, Mayo Clinic, and Kaiser Permanente) as well as academia (including MIT Media Lab, Vanderbilt, Purdue, and City University Hong Kong). Barry has also been an invited guest on several television programs including Martha Stewart, Mythbusters, and Design Squad.