Karol Murlak

Karol Murlak headshot

Chair, Department of Design

Karol Murlak is a designer, researcher and educator specializing in design for research and science. His practice centers around creation and application of materials.

He has been working 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 fifty 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.

His projects have been presented at exhibitions in New York; Washington, DC; London; Milan; Berlin; Brussels, Frankfurt; Dresden; Budapest; Prague; Bucharest; Sofia; Ljubljana; Warsaw; São Paulo; Brasilia; Rio de Janeiro; and Toyama. He won recognized design awards and competitions such as the Design by… Competition, the Sanitec Koło Prize, and the Design Competition for the City of Łódź.

Interdisciplinary research teams that he co-led have received multi-million dollar research and development grants from the National Science Foundation and the European Research Council. His scientific articles have been published in journals such as “Craft Research”, “European Journal of Wood and Wood Products”, and “Formy”.

He graduated from the Spatial Design program in Falmouth College of Art in Great Britain. He also holds a doctoral degree in design and a master’s degree in interior architecture both from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, Poland.

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