What We Do
Jake Dunagan
Research Director
As a pioneer of design futures, Dr. Jake Dunagan has been at the forefront of the practice and pedagogy of the field for the last 15 years. Jake brings both theoretical rigor and hands-on practical knowledge to his work. He has taught and mentored design futures students for over 10 years at leading institutions around the world such as the University of Texas' Center for Integrated Design and MA in Design in Health, California College of the Arts' Design Strategy MBA program, and CENTRO in Mexico City. Some of his career highlights as a design futurist include ground-breaking projects including immersive scenarios for for the State of Hawaii 2050, a pandemic-based alternate reality game for the CDC, visions of future cities with the US Conference of Mayors, exhibitions for the Dubai Museum of the Future, and with many other civic organizations, foundations, and businesses.
Jake holds a Ph.D. from the University of Hawaii, Manoa with special focus on neuropolitics, governance design, alternative futures, and communication of foresight. He has an MA from Temple University and a BA from Auburn University, both in visual anthropology.
Making the Future
“As the world hurtles toward self-destruction, in large part due to mass aversion to forward thinking and an institutional lack of foresight capacity, futures practices must take on more urgency and must get better. Connected minds from across the planet are potentially the greatest source of imagination and problem solving ever invented. Connected minds generate more alternative futures, and some of these visions could lead the way to better outcomes for humans and the planet.”