LTU welcomes Carla Diana as new faculty member and director of product design

SOUTHFIELD, Mich.—Lawrence Technological University has announced the appointment of Carla Diana as Associate Professor of Design and Director of Product Design, effective Aug. 1, 2025.

Carla Diana is a designer, author, and educator who explores how emerging technologies can enrich everyday life through hands-on product design and tangible interaction. As Director of Product Design and an Associate Professor at LTU, she leads students in investigating the intersections of form, function, and future tech. Diana is also Design Advisor and former Head of Design for Diligent Robotics, an AI and robotics company building assistants for healthcare environments. There, she shaped the full design vision—from the robot’s physical form to its expressive behaviors using light, sound, and motion.

Previously, Diana was the founding Head of the 4D Design Program at Cranbrook Academy of Art. She holds an M.F.A. in 3D Design from Cranbrook and a B.E. in Mechanical Engineering from the Cooper Union.

Diana’s work spans advanced product development, public installations, and speculative design. She has led design efforts at Smart Design and frog, with her work featured on the covers of “Popular Science,” “MIT Technology Review,” and “The New York Times Sunday Review.” Her book, “My Robot Gets Me: How Social Design Can Make New Products More Human” (HBR Press), offers strategies for designing emotionally intelligent tech products. She is also the author of “LEO the Maker Prince: Journeys in 3D Printing” (Maker Media), the first children’s book about 3D printing.

Lawrence Technological University, www.ltu.edu, is one of only 13 independent, technological, comprehensive doctoral universities in the United States. Located in Southfield, Mich., LTU was founded in 1932, and offers more than 100 programs through its Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Business and Information Technology, Engineering, and Health Sciences, as well as Specs@LTU, which offers communication training programs of the former Specs Howard School, and LTU’s growing Center for Professional Development. PayScale lists Lawrence Tech among the nation’s top 11 percent of universities for alumni salaries. Forbes and The Wall Street Journal rank LTU among the nation’s top 10 percent. U.S. News and World Report lists it in the top tier of best in the Midwest colleges. Students benefit from small class sizes and a real-world, hands-on, “theory and practice” education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech’s 107-acre campus include more than 60 student organizations and NAIA varsity sports.