Email: tanglt@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn

Academic Title
Tenured Professor

Education

·1995: Bachelor of Arts, Department of Industrial Design, Beijing Institute of Technology

·2000: Master of Arts, Department of Industrial Design, Beijing Institute of Technology

·2004: Ph.D., Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University

Professional Experience

·1995–1997: Product Designer, Beijing Industrial Design Center

·2000–2001: Product Designer, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., Shenzhen

·2004–2006: Postdoctoral Researcher, Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University

·2006–2010: Lecturer, Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University

·2010–2022: Associate Professor / Tenured Associate Professor, Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University

·2022–Present: Tenured Professor, Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University

International Experience

·2003: University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany

·2007–2008: Chancellor Fellowship, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany

·2013: School of Visual Arts, New York, USA

Research Focus
Design Methodology, Design Philosophy, Design and Social Sciences, Form Fundamentals

Professional Affiliations

·President, Artistic Committee, Tsinghua Postdoctoral Alumni Association

·Vice President, Zhongguancun Industrial Design Industry Association

·Committee Member, Indoor Lighting Committee, China Illuminating Engineering Society

·Expert Reviewer, National Industrial Design Center, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology

·Expert Reviewer, “China Excellent Industrial Design Award”

·Expert Reviewer, “International Lighting Design Competition,” China Association of Lighting Industry

·Expert Reviewer, “Design Leadership Institutions” and “Design Leadership Talents,” Beijing Municipality

Academic Philosophy
Professor Tang Lintao places design methodology at the intersection of theory, practice, and pedagogy. His doctoral dissertation, The Theory, Methodology, and Practice of Design Epistemology, has had a lasting impact as an original design theory in China. Since 2004, he has proposed academic concepts such as “Three Pathways of Design Research,” “Integrated Knowledge Innovation,” “The Knowledge Structure of Designers,” and “Design Methodology from a Social Science Perspective,” which he has actively applied in industrial projects. In 2007, he received the Chancellor Fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany, which aims to cultivate international leaders in various disciplines. Upon returning to China, he refined the theoretical framework of design methodology, systematically explored the relationship between design studies and philosophy/social sciences, and identified pragmatism and phenomenology as the philosophical foundations of design. In teaching, he applies pragmatism to Tsinghua’s interdisciplinary design education and focuses on phenomenology in the Academy’s specialized courses.

Research Projects
Professor Tang advocates that design is an iterative process of inquiry between theory and practice, producing both innovative outcomes and “design knowledge” that integrates human and material factors. His research is characterized by “Research Through Design.”

·2022–2024: Project Lead, Big Data Design Index and Product Innovation Methodology Research

·2019–2022: Project Lead, Comprehensive Innovation Design of the World’s First Smart Unmanned Systems Mother Ship—Zhuhai Cloud

·2014–2019: Project Lead, Human-Centered Design Research for the Navy’s Two New Ships—the Comprehensive Resource Survey Ship Dayang and the Deep-Sea Support Vessel Shenhai—Under the 12th Five-Year Plan for International Sea Resource Exploration

·2014–2016: Project Lead, Human-Centered Design Research for Rail Transit

·2012–2016: Project Lead, Semiconductor Lighting System Research and Innovation Design

·2012–2014: Project Lead, Lighting Renovation Project for the Table Tennis Hall of the General Administration of Sport of China

·2011–2017: Project Lead, Comparative Study on the Competitiveness of Chinese and International Design Industries (MOE Humanities and Social Sciences General Project)

·2011–2014: Project Lead, Human-Centered Design System Research for the Comprehensive Oceanographic Survey Ship Dayang

·2011–2013: Project Lead, Renovation of the LED Lighting System for the Great Hall of the People’s “Starry Sky” (utilized his patented “Vertical Convection Heat Dissipation” technology; recognized as a National Development and Reform Commission “Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction” Demonstration Project and one of the Top 100 Global Semiconductor Lighting Demonstration Projects)

·2011–2012: Original Design La Feng Streetlight—Silver Award, 2012 China Red Star Design Award

·2007–2008: Original Design The Shape of Light—Soar Streetlight for the Olympic Sports Center Celebration Plaza—Supreme Gold Award, 2008 China Red Star Design Award

Academic Achievements
Professor Tang has published over 30 papers and books, including 15 CSSCI and Chinese core journal articles. His work has won the Gold Award for Outstanding Academic Papers on the Development of Chinese Industrial Design in the Past Decade.

Selected Publications:

·Disagreement and the Future: Innovative Design of Smart Unmanned Systems Mother Ship, World Architecture, 2022

·Research on the Relationships between Humans and Printed Photos in the Digital Era, HCI International, 2022

·Body-Consciousness in Design, Packaging Engineering, 2019

·Summary of Semiotic Training Courses for Chess Piece Design Based on Linguistics, Collected Papers of the National Higher Education Forum on Comprehensive Basic Design Teaching, 2018

·Context and Innovation in New Chinese Furniture, Packaging Engineering, 2017

·Human-Centered Design for Urban Rail Transit, Urban Rail Transit Research, 2016

·Design and Craftsmanship: A German Perspective, Art & Design, 2015

·Human-Centered Design of Rail Transit Interior Spaces, Art & Design, 2015

·The Knowledge Structure of Designers, Collected Papers of the 30th Anniversary Conference of Tsinghua Academy’s Industrial Design Department, China Architecture & Building Press, 2014

·Seed, Soil, and Climate: The Future Path of China’s Design Industry, Art & Design, 2014

·Pathways to Innovation in Semiconductor Lighting Design, 2013 China Lighting Forum Proceedings, 2013

·A Chinese Approach to Design Studies, Tsinghua University Press

·Prototype Innovation in Semiconductor Lighting Based on Knowledge Integration, Lighting Engineering Journal, 2012

·Analysis and Responses to the Chinese Design Environment, Art Observation, 2010

·Innovative Design Thinking: Methods, Work Models, and Education, New Opportunities in Industrial Design Education, Beijing Institute of Technology Press, 2010

·Research on the Development Strategy of Chinese Art and Design Education, Tsinghua University Press, 2010

·Design Research: What to Research and How to Research, 2009 Tsinghua International Design Management Conference Proceedings, 2009

·Three Pathways of Design Research, Design Studies Forum, Nanjing University Press, 2009

·Beyond Functionality: The Theoretical Framework of the Design Sociology Course, Art & Design, 2006

·The Relationship Between Design and Natural/Social Sciences: A Perspective from the Evolution of Design Methodology, Art & Design, 2005

·Doctoral Dissertation: The Theory, Methodology, and Practice of Design Epistemology, 2004

Teaching
Graduate Courses:

·Design Methodology

·Design and Social Sciences

·Research Methods in Art and Design

Undergraduate Courses:

·3D Form Fundamentals 2 (Space)

·Form Fundamentals 1 (Semiotics)

·Design Engineering Basics 1 (Materials, Structures, and Techniques)

·Design Engineering Basics 2 (Functions and Principles)

·Industrial Design Process and Methodology

·Product Design 3 (System Design)

·Interdisciplinary Design Practice (3, 5)