The MIT-HPI AI and Creativity Hub welcomes first cohort of Hasso Plattner fellows

The MIT-HPI AI and Creativity Hub (MHACH) has announced its inaugural cohort of Hasso Plattner fellows, as part of a 10‑year initiative to strengthen ties between computing and design.

Jointly led by the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing, MIT Morningside Academy for Design, and the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) in Potsdam, Germany, MHACH invited fellowship nominations for continuing students who are conducting research at the intersection of artificial intelligence, creativity, and design.

MHACH received 15 nominations from departments and academic units within the School of Architecture and Planning and the Schwarzman College of Computing.

The 2026-2027 Hasso Plattner fellows are:

• Lancelot Blanchard, PhD candidate, Media Arts and Sciences. Blanchard is advised by Joseph Paradiso, Alexander W. Dreyfoos (1954) Professor of Media Arts and Sciences, and was nominated for his work building a real-time, co-creative AI system.
• Zhiyang (Frank) Dou, PhD candidate, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Dou is advised by Wojciech Matusik, Cadence Design Systems Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and was nominated for his work on translating language, sketches, and reference materials into simulation- and fabrication-ready robot designs.
• Chloe (Soo hwa) Hong, PhD candidate, Architecture. She is advised by Caitlin Mueller, George Macomber Career Development Professor in Construction Management, and was nominated for her work on spatial reasoning that leads to the development of novel, buildable solutions.
• Nithya Shikarpur, PhD candidate, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. She is advised by Anna Huang, Robert N. Noyce Career Development Professor, and was nominated for her work on music technology and AI.