Director's Fellows Program

The Director’s Fellows program is creating a diverse global network empowered by technology and creativity from the MIT Media Lab.

Founded by Joi Ito in 2013, the Director’s Fellow program connects a global community of charismatic and visionary leaders to the antidisciplinary research culture of the MIT Media Lab. Through curated collaborations, the program aims to expand the perspectives of our academic community, while strengthening the fellows’ capacity to serve, lead, and act as ambassadors of the Media Lab’s mission, addressing pressing issues through the lens of civic engagement, social change, education, and creative disruption.

A director’s fellow is offered a two-year honorary affiliation with the MIT Media Lab, and the opportunity to meet and connect with the Media Lab network both on and offsite to blur the lines between academia and the world.

Director’s fellows embody the Media Lab’s signature characteristics of uniqueness, magic, and impact.

Learn more about our Director's Fellows via the links at left to their cohorts.

The Director’s Fellows program is creating a diverse global network empowered by technology and creativity from the MIT Media Lab.

Founded by Joi Ito in 2013, the Director’s Fellow program connects a global community of charismatic and visionary leaders to the antidisciplinary research culture of the MIT Media Lab. Through curated collaborations, the program aims to expand the perspectives of our academic community, while strengthening the fellows’ capacity to serve, lead, and act as ambassadors of the Media Lab’s mission, addressing pressing issues through the lens of civic engagement, social change, education, and creative disruption.

A director’s fellow is offered a two-year honorary affiliation with the MIT Media Lab, and the opportunity to meet and connect with the Media Lab network both on and offsite to blur the lines between academia and the world.

Director’s fellows embody the Media Lab’s signature characteristics of uniqueness, magic, and impact.

Learn more about our Director's Fellows via the links at left to their cohorts.

WHAT

Director’s Fellows are offered a two-year honorary affiliation with the MIT Media Lab. The Fellows meet and collaborate with Lab students and faculty both on- and off-site to deploy Lab innovation, tackle real-world problems, and expand mutual learning and creativity.

WHO

How do we select candidates for the program? We consider each individual’s potential balance with the rest of the cohort, as well as her or his potential for impact. Each Director’s Fellow has something unique to share with the Lab, and each one engages differently based on serendipity and opportunity. What the Director’s Fellows share and what bonds them together is that they’re nothing like each other.