Carlos Montana-Hoyos

Dr. Carlos Alberto Montana-Hoyos is an award winning designer and academic, currently the founding Associate Professor in the Dubai Institute of Design and Education, the first design university in the UAE, in collaboration with MIT and Parsons. Previously he was Associate Professor and Course Convenor of Industrial Design (ID) in the University of Canberra, Australia (2010-18), where he won 2 institutional and 1 national teaching awards. He was Assistant Professor in ID, National University of Singapore (2006-10) and Adjunct Assistant Professor in Product Design Engineering in EAFIT University in Colombia (2001-03).

His current research and practice spans across interdisciplinary and cross-cultural approaches to design, focusing on design for Health, Biomimicry and Sustainability. Since 2010 he obtained more than $ 1 Million AUD in grants, and was project director for the curriculum design of the 1st female-only ID program in Saudi Arabia. Scholarly publications include 1 book, numerous refereed academic journal and conference papers, and professional design publications. He has been Master's and PhD supervisor, external evaluator, reviewer for design journals, member of advisory boards, invited keynote and guest speaker, and jury in international professional and academic events.

Carlos is a Colombian/Australian who has also lived in Italy, Japan, Singapore and currently the UAE. Languages include Spanish, English, Italian and Japanese. He graduated as an ID from Javeriana University (PUJ). In 2003 he was awarded a scholarship from the Japanese Government, graduating Cum Laude from a MAID and a PhD from Kobe Design University in Japan. As a practitioner, Carlos has worked in-house in design of packages, electric appliances, furniture, lamps, ceramics, handcrafts, and others. Many of his projects as well as projects by his students have received international design awards, including Braun Prize, Dupont Imagineering, RedDot, and others.

Companies

• Chair of Research Committee Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (2021)
• Co-Founder of DIDI Agile Factory Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (2020)
• Founding Associate Professor Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (2018)
• Acting Assistant Dean Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (2019 — 2021)
• Associate Professor - Industrial Design University of Canberra (2010 — 2018)
• Program Director (course convenor) - Industrial Design University of Canberra (2012 — 2016)
• Assistant Professor National University of Singapore (2006 — 2010)
• Post-graduate student Kobe Design University (2003 — 2009)
• Designer Exporenso (1999 — 2001)

Education

• MA and PhD Kobe Design University (2003 — 2009)
• Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Education GCTE University of Canberra (2012 — 2014)
• BA Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (1991 — 1996)
• High School Diploma Colegio San Carlos (1979 — 1991)