CV

Mission

To study and build systems for social innovation.

Research Interests

Social Innovation, Socio-Technical Systems, Social Computing, Crowdfunding

Academic Employment

Assistant Professor, Northwestern University in departments of:

  • Segal Design Institute (School of Engineering)
  • Mechanical Engineering (School of Engineering)
  • Technology and Social Behavior (School of Communications)
  • Industrial Engineering & Management Science (School of Engineering) by courtesy Management & Organizations (School of Management), by courtesy
  • Learning Sciences (School of Education & Social Policy), by courtesy

Postdoctoral Scholar, Hasso Plattner Institute of Design, Stanford University, 2007-2008

Education

Ph.D., Management Science & Engineering, Stanford University
 2003-2007
Advisors: Dr. Robert Sutton, Dr. Chip Heath, & Dr. Pamela Hinds
M.S., Joint Program in Product Design, Art and Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University Advisors: David Kelley & Rolf Faste, 2001-2003
B.A., Dartmouth College, 1994-1998

Selected Honors and Distinctions

Ashoka U Education Innovation Award, 2013
Public Interest Design Top 100 People, 2012
Allen K. and Johnnie Cordell Breed Junior Chair in Design, 2012 – present
Public Voices Thought Leadership Fellow, 2012 – present
Core 77 Notable Professional Award for Design Education Initiative, 2012
Core 77 Notable Professional Award for Design for Social Impact, 2012
Searle Teaching Fellow at Northwestern University
, 2009
Centennial Teaching Award at Stanford University, 2007

Publications

  1. Gerber, E., Relations in Design Thinking: A Case Study of a Social Network. In K. Mark Weaver (Ed.), Proceedings of the Sixty-fifth Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management (CD), ISSN 1543-8643  Best Paper Award Nomination, Technology and Innovation, Management Division
, 2006
  2. Gerber, E., Improvisation Principles and Techniques for Design, Proceedings of Computer Human Interaction 2007, ACM Press
  3. Gerber, E. Using Improvisation To Enhance the Effectiveness of Brainstorming, Proceedings of Computer Human Interaction 2007, ACM Press
  4. Gerber, E., Prototyping: Facing Uncertainty Through Small Wins, Proceedings of International Conference on Engineering Design 2009
  5. Gerber, E., McKenna, A., Hirsch, P. & Yarnoff, C., Learning to Waste – Wasting to Learn? How to Use Cradle to Cradle Principles to Improve the Teaching of Design, International Journal of Engineering Education, 2010
  6. Bao, P., Gerber, E., Gergle, D., Hoffman, D. Momentum: Getting and Staying on Topic During a Brainstorm. Proceedings of Computer Human Interaction 2010, ACM Press
  7. Chung, H. & Gerber, E., Emotional-Storyboarding: A Participatory Method for Emotional Designing for Children, Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Design & Emotion, 2010
  8. Lewis, S., Dontcheva, M., & Gerber, E. Affective Computational Priming and Creativity, Proceedings of Computer Human Interaction 2011, ACM Press
  9. Gerber, E. The Psychological Experience of User Observation, International Conference on Engineering Design 2011 Proceedings
  10. Gerber, E. & Carroll, M. The Psychological Experience of Prototyping, Design Studies. Vol. 33 (1), 2012
  11. Gerber, E. Tech Break Ups: A Research Tool for Understanding People’s Attachment to Their Technology, Proceedings of Creativity and Cognition, ACM Press, 2011
  12. Leonardi, P. Beyene, T. & Gerber, E. How Managers Use Multiple Media: 
Discrepant Events, Power, and Timing in Redundant Communication, Organization Science, 2012
  13. Gerber, E., Olson, J., Komarek, R. Extracurricular Design-Based Learning: Preparing Students for Careers in Innovation, International Journal of Engineering Education, 2012
  14. Gerber, E. & Kennedy, C. Supporting Creativity in Web-Based Services, International Journal of Design, Vol. 16 (1), 2012
  15. Morris, R., Dontcheva, M., Gerber, E., Priming for Better Performance in Micro-Task Crowdsourcing Environments, IEEE Internet Computing, 2012
  16. Gerber, E., Martin, C., Braunstein, J., Kramer, E., Carberry, A. Innovation Self-Efficacy: Development of a Measure, Frontiers in Education. 2012
  17. Kittur, N., Bernstein, M., Nickerson, J., Gerber, E., Shaw, A., Lease, M., Zimmerman, J., Horton, M. The Future of Crowd Work, Computer Supported Cooperative Work 2013, ACM Press
  18. Gerber, E. Micro-volunteering: Helping the Helpers in Development, Computer Supported Cooperative Work 2013, ACM Press
  19. Dow, S., Gerber, E., Wong, A. A Pilot Study of Using Crowds in the Classroom, CHI 2013, Paris France

Under Review

  1. Hui, J., Greenberg, M., Gerber, E., Easy Money? The Demands of Crowdwork (to appear as a WIP at CHI 2013)
  2. Greenberg, M., Hui, J. Gerber, E., Crowdfunding: A Resource Exchange Perspective (to appear as a WIP at CHI 2013)
  3. Briam, R., Gerber, E. Crowdfunding in the University
  4. Morris, R., Dontcheva, M., Finkelstein, A., Gerber, E. Affect and Creative Performance on Crowdsourcing Platforms (under review at the Conference at International Conference on Affective Computing and Intelligent Interaction)
  5. Gerber, E., Hui, J, Kuo, P. Motivations for Crowdfunding

Selected Popular Publications

  1. Gerber, E. Developing an Idea by Throwing it Away, Ambidextrous Magazine, 2008
  2. Gerber, E. Drawing to Capture What Photographs May Miss, Ambidextrous Magazine, 2009
  3. Gerber, E. Using Improvisation to Improve Brainstorming, Rotman Magazine
, 2011
  4. Gerber, E. Innovation Self-Efficacy: Fostering Beliefs in Our Ability Through and By Design, Core77, 2011
  5. Gerber, E. Tech Break Ups: A Research Tool for Understanding People’s Attachment to Their Technology, ACM Interactions, 2012
  6. Gerber, E. Teaching STEM Students Must Be Taught to Fail, US News and World Report, 2012
  7. Gerber, E. Is Crowdfunding Failing Some of the Most Promising Entrepreneurs, Huffington Post, 2013
  8. Gerber, E. A Network of Student Designers Solving Problems, Good.is, 2013
  9. Gerber, E. Why Do People Give to Crowdfunding Sites, NPR Marketplace, 2013
  10. Gerber, E. Top 11 Reasons You Should Ignore Top 10 (or Top 100) Lists, Metropolis Mag, 2013
  11. Gerber, E. 4 Daily Habits of Game Changing Social Innovators, Forbes.com, 2013

Workshops

  1. Andre, P., Bernstein, M., Dontcheva, M., Gerber, E. Kittur, N., Miller, R., Collective Intelligence Crowdcamp, ACM Computer Human Interaction Conference 2012, Austin, TX
  2. Andre, P., Bingham, J., Chilton, L., Dontcheva, M., Gerber, E., Gilbert, E. CrowdCamp 2013: Rapidly Iterating Crowd Ideas, ACM Computer Supported Cooperative Work Conference 2013, San Antonio, TX

Invited Talks

  1.  “The Unintended Consequences of Management” Department of Engineering, Dartmouth College, 2005
  2. “Sharing Creative Control” Department of Management Science & Engineering, Hasso Plattner Institute of Design, Stanford University, 2006
  3. “The Birth of a Knowledge Broker” Department of Engineering, Dartmouth College, 2006
  4. “Improvisation in Design” Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, 2006
  5. “Storytelling as a Tool for Design” Hasso Plattner Institute of Design, Stanford University, 2006
  6. “Observation as a Tool for Designing for Extreme Affordability” Hasso Plattner Institute of Design, Stanford University, 2007
  7. “Devotion to an Innovation Process: The Case of Human Centered Design” Saunders College of Business, Rochester Institute of Technology, 2007
  8. “Devotion to an Innovation Process: The Case of Human Centered Design” Segal Institute of Design, Northwestern University, 2008
  9. “Devotion to an Innovation Process: The Case of Human Centered Design” MIT Media Lab, MIT, 2008
  10.  “Innovation Processes and Spaces” Innovator Lecture Series, Management, Learning, and Organizational Change, Northwestern University and Catalyst Ranch, Chicago, 2009
  11. “Designing for Engagement” Jones Lecture Series, Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, 2010
  12. Design for America: Thinking about Innovation Education Outside of the Box, Design Chicago, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, 2010
  13. Design for America: Changing People’s Beliefs in Themselves Through and By Design, CUSP Conference: The Design of Everything, Chicago, Illinois, 2010
  14. “Using Technology to Motivate Creative Action”, HCI Seminar Series, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 2011
  15. “Using Technology to Motivate Creative Action”
ME Seminar Series, MIT, Cambridge MA, 2011
  16. “Technology that Activates: Priming Emotion and Achieving Goals” Computer Science Seminar Series, Tufts University, Somerville, MA, 2011
  17. “Using Technology to Motivate Creative Action” Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Seminar Series, MIT, Cambridge MA, 2011
  18. “Technology, Affect, and Creative Problem Solving” HCI Seminar Series, University of Illinois, Champaign Urbana, IL, 2011
  19. “Positive Design & Innovation” Colleges of Business and College of Human Ecology, Cornell, Ithaca, IL, 2011
  20. “Positive Design: Helping People Thrive Through and By Design” College of Human Ecology, Cornell, Ithaca, IL, 2011
  21. “Technology, Affect, and Creative Problem Solving” Human Computer Interaction Institute Seminar Series, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA, 2011
  22. “Technology that Motivates Innovation: Influencing Autonomy, Connectedness, and Competence” School of Communications, Northwestern, Evanston, IL, 2011
  23. “Affective Computational Priming” School of Education and Public Policy, Northwestern, Evanston, IL, 2011
  24. “Positive Innovation: Helping People Thrive Through and By Design” Segal Design Institute, Northwestern, Evanston, IL, 2011
  25. “Innovation Self-Efficacy: Changing People’s Beliefs Through and By Design,” School of Design, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 2012
  26. “Innovation Self-Efficacy: Changing People’s Beliefs Through and By Design,” School of Design, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA 2012
  27. “The Design-It-Together Movement: The Case of Design for America,” Industrial Designers Society of America, Midwest Conference, Chicago, IL, 2012
  28. “The Design-It-Together Movement,” TedX, University of Chicago, IL 2012
  29. “Design-It-Together: The Role of Crowdsourcing in Innovation, Media, Technology, and Society, Northwestern, Evanston, IL, 2012
  30. “Crowdsourcing and Innovation” Carnegie Mellon University, Pittburgh, PA 2013
  31. “Microvolunteering: Helping the Helpers in Development” Computer Supported Cooperative Work, San Antonio, TX, 2013
  32. “The Role of Social Computing in Innovation” Penn State, University Park, PA, April, 2013 (upcoming)

Recent Press Coverage

  • “It’s Not Nagging. Why Persistent Redundant Communication Works,” Harvard Working Knowledge, 2011
  • “Spotlight on Design,” Core77, 
2011
  • “The United States of Design,” Fast Company, 2011
  • “Should design be taught as an entrepreneurial skill?” Smartplanet.com, 2011
  • “Millennials Are the MacGyvers of Business, Harvard Business Review Blog, 2011
  • What Makes a Kickstarter Campaign Successful, Social Times, 2012
  • Teaching Entrepreneurs Crowdfunding Strategies, Crowdsourcing.org, 2012
  • Crowdfunding, ABC News, 2012
  • Crowdfunding, Toronto Star, 2012
  • Genius Idea: Design that Helps Us Thrive. Oprah Magazine, 2012
  • Top 100 in Public Interest Design, 2012
  • Best of 2012: Visionaries, Organizations, and Innovations Changing the Way we Learn: Good Magazine
  • The Millennials, Architect Magazine, 2013

Grants Awarded

  1. Gerber, E. (PI) “Design for America: Extracurricular Design Based Learning,” Northwestern’s Murphy Society Grant ($105,000), 2009-2012
  2. Chen, W. (PI) Colgate, E., Norman, D., McKenna, A., Gerber, E. (Co-PI), “NSF Workshop on Driving Innovation Through Design: Engineering in the 21st Century,” NSF ENGR ($25,000), 2010-2011
  3. Gerber, E. (PI) “Design that Motivates” New Faculty Start Up Grant, PI, 2008-2013
  4. Chen, W. (PI), Gutchell, D. (Co-PI), Gerber, E. (Co-PI), TUES Type 2: Collaborative Research: The Institutionalization and Sustainability of Product Archaeology – A National Rollout Plan 2012-2015
  5. Gerber, E. (PI), Lewis, D. (Co-PI), Shyrokova, A.. (Co-PI), Lesser, J. (Co-PI), , Arora, R. (Co-PI), Ma, S.. (Co-PI), , Nerenberg, S. (Co-PI), “Design for America: A Badge Community for Innovation” Digital Media Learning Grant supported by the MacArthur Foundation ($175,000) 2012-2013
  6. Gerber, E. (PI) & Dow, S. (Co-PI) NSF Cyberlearning: Engaging Interdisciplinary Students in Innovation Education through Crowd-based Technology ($550,000) 2012-2015

Teaching Experience

Segal Institute of Design, Northwestern University

  • DSGN 495: Design and Emotion
  • DSGN 101: Design Thinking and Communication
  • DSGN 401: Human Centered Service Design
  • DSGN 395: Human Centered Design
  • COMM 309/MTS 309/DSGN 395: Communication Design
  • DSGN: Business and Design Integration

Hasso Plattner Institute of Design, Stanford University

  • Executive Education Program on Innovation Leadership
  • Executive Education Program on Human Centered Innovation
  • Executive Education Program on Customer Focused Innovation
  • Business Process Innovation: Treating the Organization as a Prototype
  • Creating Infectious Action: Integrating Design Thinking and Business
  • Clicks n’ Bricks: Creating Mass Market Experiences Using Design
  • Adventures in Design Thinking Graduate School Workshop

Management Science & Engineering, Stanford University

  • Organizational Behavior
  • Creativity and Innovation

Joint Program in Design in Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University

  • Advanced Product Design: Implementation
  • Advanced Product Design: Needfinding
  • Ambidextrous Thinking

Course partners included:Jet Blue, Fidelity, Walmart, Mozilla, Kohl’s Children’s Museum, Abbott Laboratories, & British Petroleum

Student Supervision

  1. Alan Besquin, Crowdfuding for Design, BS expected in 2013
  2. Hannah Hudson, Crowdfunding for Design, BS expected in 2014
  3. Peter Phelan, Using Mobile Devices to Collect Field Observations, MS expected in 2013
  4. Amy Laurin, The Role of Crowdfunding in Scientific Research, BS expected in 2013
  5. Michael Greenberg, Resource Exchange in Crowdfunding, PhD expected in 2016
  6. Liz Kramer, Development of a Measure of Innovation Self-Efficacy, MS independent study in 2013 (Design Researcher, IA Collaborative)
  7. Julie Hui, A Network Perspective on Crowdfunding, PhD expected in 2016
  8. Jenny Braunstein, Murphy Scholar, Innovation Support Tools, BA completed in 2012 (Designer, Intuit)
  9. Lauren Tindal, Motivations for Crowdfunding in Science, BA expected in 2014
  10. Megan Scherich, Running a Crowdfunding, BA independent study completed in 2012
  11. Sheena Lewis, Affective Computational Priming, PhD independent study completed in 2010
  12. Patti Bao, Momentum: Getting and Staying on Topic During a Brainstorm, PhD independent study project completed in 2010
  13. Hannah Chung, Mechanical Engineering, Emotional-Storyboarding: A Participatory Method for Emotional Designing for Children and Crowdfunding, BS independent study completed in 2011 (CCO, Sproutel)
  14. Rebecca Komarek, Learning Sciences, Designing for America: A Case study of Service Learning, Masters thesis co-advised with Dr. Lois Trauvetter completed in 2010
  15. Molly Lafferty, Radio, Film & Television, Effects of Improvisation-based Warm-up Activities on Brainstorming Outcomes in Design Teams, BA independent study completed in 2010
  16. Ben Schriesheim, Engineering Design and Innovation, Roll-out Table for Apartment Dwellers, MS independent study completed in 2009 (Designer, Solidworks)
  17. Sarah Hulseman, Engineering design and Innovation, Textured Packaging for Men’s Shaving Products MS independent study completed in 2009
  18. Tarresha Pointdexter, Learning and Organizational Change, The Birth of a Knowledge Broker, BA independent study completed in 2009
  19. David Hoffman, Learning Sciences, Momentum: Getting and Staying on Topic During a Brainstorm, BA independent study completed in 2009 (CEO, The Next Big Sound)

Honors, Distinctions, Patents, and Grants to Advisees

  1. Julie Hui selected as NSF Graduate Fellow, 2013
  2. Julie Hui and Mike Greenberg selected as Segal Design Fellows, 2013
  3. Hannah Chung selected as top 15 female tech entrepreneurs to look out for in 2012
  4. Design for America team selected for Beta Spring, a startup incubator, 
 2011
  5. Design for America team selected for Health Box, a startup incubator, 
2011
  6. Provisional Patent for a Toy for Diabetic Children for Design for America, 2011
  7. Semi-finalists of the national Diabetes Mine Challenge for Design for America, 2011
  8. Boeing Company Award for Design for America,
 2011
  9. Semi-finalist for the Dell Social Innovation Competition for Design for America, 2011
  10. Patent for a Hand Sanitation Device by Design for America, 2010
  11. Sheena Lewis, NSF Graduate Fellowship
, 2010
  12. Winner of the Northwestern’s Entrepreneurial Idol Competition for Design for America 2010
  13. Water Health and Development Field Exchange for Design for America
, 2010
  14. Northwestern’s Breed Fund for Design for Design for America
, 2009
  15. Northwestern’s Initiative for Sustainability and Energy Grant for Design for America, 2009
  16. Winner of the national Diabetes Mine Challenge for Design for America, 
2009
  17. Winner of the national Social Designer Challenge for Design for America, 2009

Industry Experience 

Design Researcher, Green Campus Initiative, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Teacher and School Administrator, The San Francisco School, San Francisco, CA
Design and Marketing Researcher, Wild Planet Toys, San Francisco, CA

Service

Faculty Founder and Council Member, Design for America, 2008-current
Faculty advisor, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Northwestern, 2009-current
Faculty advisor, Improv & Eng Graduate Student Group, Northwestern, 2009-current
Program Committee Member, Computer Human Interaction Conference 2010, 2011
Program Committee Member, Human Computation Conference, 2013
Peer Reviewer for the following outlets
International Journal of Design, 2012
Journal of Engineering Education, 2010
International Journal of Engineering Education, 2009, 2011
Artificial Intelligence for Engineering Design, Analysis, and Manufacturing 2011
American Society for Mechanical Engineering, 2012
IEEE Internet Computing, 2012
User Interface Software and Technology, 2012
Computer Supported Cooperative Work, 2012

Membership

American Society for Engineering Education
Association for Computing Machinery
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Design and Emotion Society
Design Research Society
Industrial Designers Society of America
Association for Computing Machinery
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Design and Emotion Society
Design Research Society
Industrial Designers Society of America