Mat Schwartz Elected Chair of the School of Art + Design at NJIT's Hillier College
Mat Schwartz has been elected chair of the School of Art + Design at Hillier College effective July 1, 2025. Schwartz is an exemplar of the kind of design professional that he and fellow faculty train at Hillier College: interdisciplinary, creative and technically proficient. Schwartz’s work reflects this interdisciplinary background and spans art, industrial design, science and engineering. His background includes a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Master of Science in Digital Technology and Architecture from University of Michigan Ann Arbor, and five years as a research scientist in South Korea.
Schwartz’s research incorporates the latest knowledge and technology of robotics and biomechanics into work in the fields of art, design, and architecture. A current focus is the influence of the built environment on human movement and the ergonomics of spatial design for accessibility. Interested in accessibility and the interaction of groups with the built environment, Schwartz has used Nvidias Omniverse to build digital twins of buildings to enable better design decisions. He has also simulated mass group movement in complex urban environments.
"We are really happy with Mat taking on this role. He has a broad and deep span of experience in both scholarship and the operations of the academy. We are confident that he will enhance cross disciplinary pollination within Hillier College and across NJIT and expand opportunities for student/faculty collaborations within Hillier College", said Dean Gabrielle Esperdy.
Established in 2008, the School of Art + Design has a long track record of innovation in the use of technology in design. Providing an overview of the school Schwartz noted that, "The School of Art + Design is not a fine arts school, we have three undergraduate degree programs: Industrial Design, Digital Design and Interior Design. We teach ‘applied design’ and are well aligned with students who would do computer science for example but like the creative aspect of digital design, or mechanical engineering and like the design aspect."
Starting with the industrial design program, Schwartz described it as, "Anything from cars, footwear, watches, furniture, appliances and the iPhone are created by industrial designers. Industrial designers are thinking about the way that products are used and user experience in connection with how they can be produced and rolled out to consumers at scale. Industrial design is a good fit for students that are interested in mechanical engineering, but really enjoy creating objects, or prototypes, through hands-on processes where we use machines and other manufacturing tools."
"Students studying in our interior design program receive a robust education in both the aesthetic design and technical aspects of the interior of built environments as we have a diverse teaching cohort. That goes hand in hand with learning about factors such as adaptive reuse, the quality of the indoor environment, lighting, sustainability of materials, building systems, codes, and construction standards. Students are also free to take architecture classes as part of their electives and graduating from our accredited interior design program with advanced standing, they can continue into a Master of Architecture, giving them the opportunity for rigorous education on how buildings and structures are made," said Schwartz.
The digital design program provides many pathways and concentrations for students, from graphic design or animation, to advertising and entertainment with a focus on the technical skills being used in the industries. “It is good to mention that students in our digital design program who are interested in game design and UI/UX can take human computer interaction (HCI) and informatics classes in the computing school. Because we're at a stem school, they have access to these other programs without having to major in computer science,” Schwartz added.
The School of Art + Design also offers a Master of Fine Arts and a Master of Science in Digital Design, and four certificates.
Schwartz pointed out that prospective students should know that traditional portfolios are not the only thing students can submit with their application. "Sometimes there are mechanical engineering students or students that have been doing CAD classes or robotics and they don't see themselves as doing design or industrial design because they don't have a portfolio. Because we are a polytechnic school, a portfolio for us isn't just about drawing. It could be simply showing robotics projects and some of their CAD models. We just want to see their creative process."
The Hillier College now has two new chairs; Gernot Riether was elected to chair of the New Jersey School of Architecture effective July 1. To learn more about the Hillier College please visit our website. To learn about Schwartz’s work please visit his websites:
Lab: siborg.design https://www.siborglab.com/
Personal: www.cadop.info