Kiran Gopinath

Kiran Gopinath is an Industrial Designer, Design Educator, Researcher, and Academician with over 15 years of experience spanning academia, research, and design consultancy. He holds a B.E. in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Anna University and a Postgraduate degree in Industrial Design from IIT Delhi, with areas of expertise including design for special needs, human factors and ergonomics, representation skills, design styling, trend forecasting, and concept design.

He began his professional career as an Industrial Designer in automotive styling, with his design works showcased at international platforms including the Auto Expo and Defence Expo, before transitioning to academia and research, where he has contributed to design education at leading institutions including IITs, IIITs, NIDs, PEC, FDDIs, and other universities. He has served as Head of the Department of Design & Technology at Good Shepherd International School, Ooty, and as Assistant Faculty in Integrated Lifestyle Product Design at the Kerala State Institute of Design (under Govt. of Kerala), while also contributing as an academic advisor at DY Patil University, Pune, and design consultant at SouthField Electronics Pvt Ltd, Kochi.

His academic and professional contributions include research in automotive styling, International Baccalaureate Certification as a Design & Technology Facilitator, and significant work in assistive technology, including a cost-effective Refreshable Braille Display for the Indian context, which received recognition at the Assistive Technology Product Exhibition at NISH, Trivandrum. He has been invited as a speaker at IIT Delhi’s 6th International Conference on Excellence in School Education, and has contributed to industry-academia projects with organisations including DRDO, BEML, Wipro, UCAM, and General Aeronautics (IISc), focusing on product development, prototyping, future mobility, and design styling.

Before joining JAIN (Deemed-to-be University), he was an Associate Professor at SMI (Industrial Arts and Design Practices), Manipal Campus Bengaluru. He currently serves as Assistant Professor-II, Department of Design, at SoDMCA, JAIN (Deemed-to-be University), Bengaluru.