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About

Sabrina Tian

Chinese-American designer and researcher interested in designing for culture, whether it be in collaboration with microorganisms, the social behavior and norms found in human societies, or the system of interactions between a society with the environment.

Sabrina Tian

Sabrina is a multidisciplinary designer & researcher that blends systems thinking, visual storytelling, and cross-cultural user research to craft hardware interfaces and AI-powered digital experiences. Her work has been featured internationally in London, Dubai, New York City, and more, most notably at COP28.


To her, design is a form of advocacy. Everything we create and use shape our behaviors and surrounding environments. As designers, we must advocate for all species in creating responsible, accessible, and impactful ways to engage with both analog and digital spaces around us. She is fascinated in analyzing the standards of our society, finding ways to refine them to be more inclusive, and designing for them sustainably.

Jacobs Engineering Group — SF Bay Area, CA

UX Designer, Data Dashboards & Urban Infrastructure

Oct 2024–Present

Massachusetts Institute of Technology — Cambridge, MA

Design Lead, Hardware Design & Data Visualization

Oct 2024–Oct 2025

Snap Inc. — London, UK

XR Experience Designer, Generative AI & AR

Jan 2023–Dec 2023

Keio University — Tokyo, Japan

Design Researcher, Cross-Cultural Research & Product Strategy

Apr 2023–Dec 2023

Imperial College London × Royal College of Art

MSc/MA Global Innovation Design

Royal Commission for 1851 Industrial Design Studentship · Japan Student Scholarship (JASSO)

London, UK

University of Pennsylvania

BA Design + BA Computational Cognitive Science

Dean's List 2021–2022

Philadelphia, PA

Ubiroot

Asia Design Week 2024 x Hebei International Industrial Design Week

Xiongan, Sep 2024

2024 Summer Show - Imperial College London

London, July 2024

1851 Science & Alumni Night - The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851

London, April 2024

Vleur

COP28 Showcase, Prototypes for Humanity — Dubai Future Foundation

Dubai, Dec 2023

Modern Metamorphoses, Biodesign Challenge — Parsons School of Design

New York City, Jun 2023

Oscillating Cultures

The Arrival of a Train, SnapAR x Royal College of Art

London, Sep 2023

Poole Pavilion

Grand Challenge: Engaging Communities for Generating Marine Sustainable Economies — Royal College of Art

London, Mar 2023

Born in China, Grown in America

In Search Of — Charles Addams Fine Arts Hall, University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Apr 2022

Asian Migration: Emotions & Personal Narratives through Art

Asian American Studies Fellows Colloquium — University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Oct 2021

Heart of Valley's Delight

Designing Motherhood Public Program - Design Philadelphia

Philadelphia, Oct 2021

Honorable Mention - Design Intelligence Awards

Shanghai, Dec 2024

Finalist - Paris Design Awards (Product & Eco-Design)

Paris, Aug 2024

Semifinalist - Prototypes for Humanity

Dubai, Nov 2023

Industrial Design Studentship — The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851

London, Oct 2023

Semifinalist — Biodesign Challenge 2023

New York City, Jun 2023

JASSO Scholarship — Japan Student Services Organization

Tokyo, Apr 2023

Top 12 Shortlist — Grand Challenge: Marine Sustainable Economies, RCA & RNLI

London, Feb 2023

2nd Place — Penn Film Festival, UPenn Cinema & Media Studies

Philadelphia, May 2022

Semifinalist — Biodesign Challenge × Google Hardware Design Studio

Sep 2021

Buzzfeed  ·  Kerry Lemoon  ·  Feels Studio  ·  Nouri Mama  ·  Rochester Polytechnic Institute BatLab  ·  Yang Academy

Design & Research

Cross-cultural fieldwork User interviews Diary studies Journey mapping

Hardware & Making

Arduino Enclosure design Soft robotics Biomaterials Fabrication 3D modeling & printing Laser cutting

Software & Digital

Figma Adobe Creative Suite Figma Java MATLAB OCaml HTML / CSS / JS AR / XR Rhino Maya Palantir Tableau Mapbox Design systems Data visualization GIS mapping Generative AI Vibe coding

Strategy & Communication

Executive presentations Workshop facilitation Product strategy Publication design