Professor Tadanori Nagasawa
Title
Honorary Doctor
Person Type
Honorary
Professor Tadanori Nagasawa is a Japanese cultural engineer, researcher, consultant, author and activist. Since the 1980s, he has made an outstanding contribution to the fields of creative innovation and education.
He graduated from the Department of Science of Design at Musashino Art University (MAU) in 1978 and continued his research through a postgraduate degree at the Royal College of Art (RCA). After completing his studies at RCA in 1981, he returned to Tokyo and established a design consultancy. Over the following years, he advised a range of clients, from national government agencies to private sector companies.
His career in education began in 1993 when he became an Associate Professor in the Department of Information Design at Tohoku University of Art and Design. 6 years later, he returned to MAU as a Professor in the Department of Design Informatics. This marked the beginning of a 25-year tenure during which he held several prominent positions, including Director of International Affairs and President. While President, he established the new College of Creative Thinking for Social Innovation and Department of Creative Innovation with a postgraduate course in Creative Leadership.
Before retiring in 2024 with the title of Professor Emeritus, Tadanori led numerous initiatives to promote a global and collaborative approach to design education. These included expanding partnerships with affiliated institutions worldwide—one example being University of the Arts London.
Under his leadership, MAU hosted the Global Design Education Forum and established the Global Design Faculty in collaboration with 4 international universities. This initiative led to global leaders in design and education conducting lectures and workshops at MAU and its affiliated universities.
In recognition of his contributions to art and design education, Tadanori received the Distinguished Service Award from the Toyama Prefectural Government in 2000. In 2016, he was named a Senior Fellow at the RCA.