Emma Peng Research Affiliate
Ruiwen (Emma) Peng is a design researcher and educator specializing in tangible interaction, creative educational tools, and interdisciplinary learning experiences. Her work lies at the intersection of human–computer interaction (HCI), design education, and playful learning, with a focus on how materiality and interaction can support deep, meaningful learning across cultural and contextual boundaries.
She currently leads research at the Burnett Ma Research Institute, where she connects global scientific, industrial, and non-governmental communities around topics including HCI, design education, and sustainable innovation. Previously, she served at Tsinghua University’s Lab for Lifelong Learning (2016–2024), leading research initiatives and partnerships, including collaborations with the LEGO Foundation.
Emma holds an MSc in Water Science, Policy and Management from the University of Oxford and a Ph.D. in Design from Tsinghua University. Her doctoral research examined design methodologies for hands-on learning kits that support children’s cognitive, emotional, and creative development.
Her broader research explores how play, material engagement, and interaction design can foster cross-disciplinary learning and cross-cultural understanding in both formal and informal educational settings. She has taught learners from kindergarten through university level, published books, and co-designed patented educational toolkits and curricula that have reached thousands of children, educators, and families in both rural and urban contexts. Now based in Boston, she is particularly interested in designing playful, future-oriented experiences that explore the illusion of presence across time and space, bridging cultures, disciplines, and generations—an interest inspired by the vision of TeleAbsence.