The visionary creative who helped redesign Mecca, rebrand Guatemala, and create the global sustainability campaign for The Coca-Cola Company, is coming to the University of Wisconsin–Madison for a yearlong teaching pursuit.
Students will soon have the opportunity to study life-centered design with an internationally recognized design innovator, author, educator and artist: Bruce Mau.
The School of Human Ecology and its Design Studies Department, in partnership with the Master of Science in Design + Innovation (MD+I) program, have named Mau as the inaugural Phillip A. Levy Fellow in Life-centered Design. The fellowship is believed to be the first of its kind in the world, made possible by a gift from UW–Madison alum Jeff Levy ’72 in memory of his brother, Phillip A. Levy ’64.
Mau will teach a highly anticipated new course about life-centered design, open to all undergraduate students, in 2026. Life-centered design is a holistic design approach that considers the implications of design on all forms of life and all connected systems.
“I’m deeply honored to be the first recipient of this fellowship, as it marks a significant, long-term commitment to advancing life-centered design,” said Mau. “We have an incredible opportunity to equip emerging leaders with the tools of life-centered design — placing all of life, not just humans, at the center of the design intention.”
“This is an extraordinary opportunity for students to learn directly from a design visionary recognized worldwide for his brilliant creativity,” said Soyeon Shim, the Elizabeth Holloway Schar Dean of the School of Human Ecology and the Ted Kellner Bascom Professor of Consumer Science.
Wanted: Creative problem-solvers
With technology and the marketplace rapidly changing, organizations are looking to harness the power of design to creatively solve problems, cultivate collaboration and foster innovation. A study by UW–Madison’s College of Engineering showed that designers are in demand at top companies with 90% of the approximately 300 employers who participated in the 2021 College of Engineering career fair seeking new hires who could work across disciplines and use design methods to solve problems.
In 2024, the School of Human Ecology introduced a new undergraduate major, Design, Innovation & Society, to meet growing industry demand for creative problem solvers. The new Bachelor of Science degree prepares students to leverage the influential role of design through a deeper understanding of social issues, global perspectives, and sustainability challenges.
Designing Massive Change
Mau is the co-founder and CEO of Massive Change Network®, a Chicago-based design consultancy that takes on bold projects with leading brands and institutions, heads of state, entrepreneurs, renowned artists and fellow optimists to create positive change.
Throughout his 40-year career, Mau has been driven to address the world’s most complex challenges, which he calls the seven wicked problems: Cities, Climate, Health, Energy, Empowerment, Demographics and Learning. With his partner Aiyemobisi “Bisi” Williams, Mau established MASSIVE ACTION™, a global initiative to empower 100 million designers with the tools of life-centered design.
As MD+I leaders Trudy Watt and Coe Douglas extended the program’s focus to life-centered design and innovation practices, they were inspired by the shared values between Bruce Mau and the School of Human Ecology, and arranged an introduction, which led to a series of collaborative opportunities.
“When I discovered that UW–Madison had an entire school dedicated to human ecology I thought: ‘This is amazing! An entire school focused on how humans interact within larger ecologies and systems. What could be more important than that?’” said Mau.
Mau visited UW–Madison for a campus screening of the MAU documentary film, and soon after began working with MD+I students on a project with Menominee Tribal Enterprises, a leader in the sustainable forestry and timber industry. Mau will deliver a lecture on life-centered design as part of MD+I’s Design Horizon: Focus on Forests Symposium and Showcase on April 21, 2025 at the Forest Products Laboratory, to highlight the students’ work and the collaboration with Menominee Tribal Enterprises. This public event is being offered as part of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies’ Earth Fest is celebrating the 55th anniversary of Earth Day.
Next year, Mau will continue his affiliation with MD+I, collaborating with the next cohort of students while also co-teaching the new undergraduate course on life-centered design that he and the Massive Change Network® team developed with Watt and Douglas, alongside MD+I students.
“I love The Wisconsin Idea – the concept that education should influence people’s lives beyond the boundaries of the classroom, ” said Mau. “The School of Human Ecology sits at a powerful crossroads within the university — an engine of interdisciplinary thinking where design, science and technology converge.”
Honoring the Life and Legacy of Phillip A. Levy
Mau is the first recipient of the fellowship established by philanthropist and alum Jeff Levy in memory of his brother, Phillip A. Levy, who was an accomplished professional interior designer and generous advocate for students.
“My brother Phil was passionate about how the arts and thoughtful design could — and should — improve the quality of life for individuals and communities,” said Jeff Levy. “Our family has been involved with many aspects of design for generations, so I’m especially proud to support this vision of UW–Madison as a global leader in design education.”
Like his brother, Jeff Levy has provided support for experiential learning opportunities in the School of Human Ecology, including sponsoring students to attend the National Retail Federation Foundation’s Student Program in New York City. The Levy family’s multigenerational commitment to UW–Madison includes the recent transformational gift for the College of Engineering building, and vital support for many campus programs.
In the years to come, the Phillip A. Levy Fellowship in Life-centered Design will bring other prominent design leaders to work with UW–Madison students on special projects, merging global insights with local perspectives on the Wisconsin Idea.
“We’re ever grateful for the thoughtfulness and generosity of Jeff Levy and Phil Levy in supporting design education as a catalyst for improving quality of life,” said Shim.
A Hub for Design Innovation
Through the inclusion of life-centered design alongside human-centered design and design thinking, UW–Madison is emerging as a leader in design education and in preparing the next generation of designers, entrepreneurs and innovation leaders.
The School of Human Ecology serves as the campus hub for design innovation, offering:
- Three design majors for undergraduates: Design, Innovation & Society; Interior Architecture; and Textiles & Fashion Design.
- Two design graduate programs: Master of Fine Arts in Design Studies and a PhD in Design Studies.
- An interdisciplinary graduate program, Master of Science in Design + Innovation (MD+I), co-led by the School of Human Ecology with the College of Engineering in partnership with the Information School, the Wisconsin School of Business and the Art Department.
- The Center for Design & Material Culture, which includes two galleries, one of the largest university-held textile collections in the world, and an ongoing series of exhibitions and events open to campus and the public.
- State of the art learning spaces for design students, including a digital fabrication lab; professional quality machines and rendering software; fully equipped studios and the Dorothy O’Brien Innovation Lab.