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Cati Boulanger

Researcher (Alum)

Cati Boulanger
Cati Boulanger

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Cati (Vaucelle) Boulanger received her Ph.D. in 2010 from the Tangible Media Group at the MIT Media Lab under the guidance of Dr. Hiroshi Ishii. She specializes in the design of hybrid physical/digital objects for play, performance and psycho-physiotherapy exploring the simplicity of tangible and gestural object interaction combined with the flexibility of digital systems. This research yields applications in fields as diverse as video making, technology-mediated storytelling, gaming and clinical intervention. With over a decade of professional and academic experience, Boulanger’s expertise includes human-computer interaction, prototyping (software, hardware, fabrication), educational toys, cognitive science and healthcare.

Boulanger is a 2011 European Union Commission expert appointee in the domain of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), a 2008 Rockefeller Foundation New Media Fellow Nominee, a 2005 John F. Kennedy Scholar for her studies at Harvard University and former Mattel Fellow for four consecutive terms. Her technology-infused artworks and installations have received numerous grants, awards and recognitions.

Boulanger graduated from MIT in 2002 with a Master’s in Media Arts and Sciences and then from Harvard University in 2006 with a Master’s in Product Design. Knowledge shopper at heart, in France, she received B.S. degrees in computer science (computational linguistics, A.I.) and applied math (economics), with a minor in fine arts (photography) as well as a master’s in computer sciences in conjunction with the French equivalent of an MFA. Boulanger is the author of over thirty peer-reviewed academic publications. Her work has been featured in various internationally recognized design, art and sciences publications including the I.D. magazine Annual Design Review, New Scientist, the Los Angeles Times, Make magazine, the Boston Herald, the Boston Globe, the Sydney Morning Herald, Televisual magazine, and in over 300 international blogs with project references and interviews such as Boing Boing, Engadget, PopScience, CNET news, Make, Forbes, the Discovery Channel, Tech TV, WoW Insider, Gizmodo, and We Make Money Not Art. By regularly consulting with various technology and consumer electronics firms, Boulanger’s research has been incorporated into several innovative products by Fisher Price, Lego, and Mattel.

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