Professor Karol Murlak is a designer, researcher and educator specializing in design for research and science. His practice centers around creation and application of materials. Most recently, Murlak was a professor at Pratt Institute, New York, and he served as an associate professor at SWPS University, Warsaw, while managing his independent creative consultancy. Murlak has worked with institutions and companies in Europe and America, including Martinelli Luce, the Museum of Food and Drink and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. He has designed over 50 projects, creating innovative materials, products, furniture, exhibitions and public installations. His work ranges in scale and complexity — from patented technology of expanding wood and devices bringing relief for patients with spine and foot conditions to musical installations showcased in the world's busiest locations. Interdisciplinary research teams that he co-led have received multimillion-dollar research and development grants from the National Science Foundation and the European Research Council. He also holds a doctoral degree in Design and a master’s degree in Interior Architecture from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, Poland.
What attracted you to the Department of Design and The University of Texas at Austin?
I’ve found here two things I love the most: forward-looking design practice merged with education, and impact-oriented research. A good example of that is our MA in Design Focused on Health program, where professionals from the design and medical industries meet with academics and researchers to work with students of diverse backgrounds and education on the most challenging problems in health. All our undergraduate and graduate programs have this spirit of collaboration and innovation.
How did your professional pathway lead to your research focus?
I went a long way. I started as an interior architect, then moved to exhibition and furniture design, which led me to material innovation and design. Currently, I use all the skills I developed working in these creative fields to find human and planet-friendly applications for scientific discoveries.
What’s something that students and colleagues should know about you?
I very much believe in big ideas and small steps that allow us to make them real. Great ideas are great only when they are implemented and work. Small steps are not minor when they lead to something big. The combination of both big ideas and small steps changes the world.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not teaching/researching/working?
I love doing whatever my 4- and 6-year-old sons love doing at any given moment. I could talk about my wife and sons forever, so I'm not even going to start.