Professional

2023 - Present PhD researcher, xLab, University of Tokyo, Japan

2021 - Present Adjunct Assistant Professor, Institute for Applied Arts, NYCU, Taiwan.

2017 - Present Co-Founder, Natura Machina artist collectives, St.Pete-Berkeley-Tokyo

2018 - 2023 Lecturer, Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA.

2018 - 2023 Research Staff, Hybrid Ecology Lab, UC Berkeley, CA.

2021 - 2023 Adjunct II Professor, UDIST, California College of the Arts.

2020 - 2021 Co-Founder, OVERGROWNN group, Berkeley, CA.

2019 - 2020 Director of Experiential Technology, Vibrant Labs, San Francisco, CA.

2018 - 2021 Lab Manager, CITRIS Invention Lab, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA.

2017 Spring, Artist Residency in Yasuaki Kakehi Lab, Keio University, Yokohama, Japan.

2011 - 2017, Lead Technologist, Tellart LLC, Providence, RI.

2010 Summer, Artist Assistant, Ian Ingram Studio, Pittsburgh, PA.

2007 Summer, Research Assistant, Creativity Lab, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu, Taiwan.

2024 Summer, Internship, NTT Social Informatics Laboratories, Tokyo, Japan

Publications

Wu, Kuan-Ju, Tomomi Nitta, Duim Huh, Mikhail Mansion, and Yasuaki Kakehi. "Signs of Water—Mirror: a Reflection on Digital Narcissism and Extinction of Experience." In Proceedings of the International Symposium on Electronic Art, pp. 892-899. 2025. ISEA ‘25

Mansion, Mikhail,  Kuan-Ju Wu, and Yasuaki Kakehi. "Atmospheric Interspaces: Environment-Driven Soundforms at the Edge." In Proceedings of the International Symposium on Electronic Art, pp. 968-971. 2025. ISEA ‘25

Wu, Kuan-Ju, Hiroki Kaimoto, Mikhail Mansion, and Yasuaki Kakehi. "WETform: A Multimodal Water Experience Testbed with Surface Manipulation." In Proceedings of the Extended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 1-6. 2025. CHI ‘25, ACM

Wu, Kuan-Ju. "Water as a Collaborative Medium: Rethinking Human-Nature Engagement." In Proceedings of the Extended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 1-5. 2025. CHI ‘25, ACM

Wu, Kuan-Ju. "Designing with Water: From Material to Metaphor to More-than-Human Mindset." In Proceedings of the Nineteenth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction, pp. 1-5. 2025. TEI ‘25, ACM

Mansion, Mikhail, Kuan-Ju Wu, and Yasuaki Kakehi. "Heat Waves: Thermoacoustics in Ecological Sound Art." In Proceedings of the Nineteenth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction, pp. 1-6. 2025. TEI ‘25, ACM

Wu, Yuan-Shao, Chun-Cheng Hsu, Wei-Chen Yen, Chiao-Ni Hsu, and Kuan-Ju Wu. "Breathing Life into Slime: The Creation of Kinetic Sculptures from Non-Newtonian Fluids." Leonardo (2025): 168-176.

Wu, Kuan-Ju, Harpreet Sareen, and Yasuaki Kakehi. "The Ways of Water: A Guiding Metaphor for Designing Calm Technologies." In Proceedings of the Halfway to the Future Symposium, pp. 1-9. 2024. HttF ‘24, ACM

McGregor, Andrew, and Kuan-Ju Wu. "Lichen and Machine Interaction to Facilitate Human Connection." IRCA ’21, IEEE

Karchemsky, Mitchell, J. D. Zamfirescu-Pereira, Kuan-Ju Wu, François Guimbretière, and Bjoern Hartmann. "Heimdall: A remotely controlled inspection workbench for debugging microcontroller projects." In Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 1-12. 2019. CHI ‘19, ACM

Wu, Kuan-Ju, and Andrew McGregor. "Natura Machina: Teenage Meadow." In Proceedings of the 2019 Conference on Creativity and Cognition, pp. 432-435. 2019. C&C ‘19, ACM

Wu, Kuan-Ju, Mark D. Gross, and Mark Baskinger. "Giffi: a gift for future inventors." In Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction, pp. 335-336. 2012. TEI ‘12, ACM

Willis, Karl DD, Cheng Xu, Kuan-Ju Wu, Golan Levin, and Mark D. Gross. "Interactive fabrication: new interfaces for digital fabrication." In Proceedings of the fifth International Conference on Tangible, embedded, and embodied interaction, pp. 69-72. 2010. TEI ‘10, ACM

Wu, Kuan-Ju, and Mark D. Gross. "Topaoko: interactive construction kit." In Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 3619-3624. 2010. CHI ‘10, ACM

Exhibition

APR 2025 WETform, CHI Interactivity, Tokyo, Japan

APR 2025 Giving Time, Sonoaida, Tokyo, Japan

MAR 2025 Heat Waves, CAPC, Bordeaux, France

FEB 2025 Wavy, xlab Showcase, Tokyo, Japan

JAN 2025 Cryoscapes, Ether Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

DEC 2024 Soundform No.2, Future Scape Projects, Yokoyama, Japan

SEP 2024 Signs of Water: Mirror, Ars Electronica, Linz, Austria

AUG 2024 Signs of Water, interactivité, Lapin et Halot Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

DEC 2023 Signs of Water, Ichikawa Art Festival, Chiba, Japan

SEP 2023 Emils, Ars Electronica, Linz, Austria.

JUN 2023 Soundform No.4, NTT ICC アニュアル 2023, Tokyo, Japan

FEB 2022 Soundform No.2, Sense Island, Yokosuka Sarushima, Japan

OCT 2022 Ethereal Cycles (Soundform No.3), INTERSECT BY LEXUS, Tokyo, Japan

JAN 2022 Frog-O-Lily, Incarnated Ghost group show, Lee & Lee Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

AUG 2021 Ballet of the Final Anthozoans, Fairgrounds, St.Pete, FL

AUG 2021 Signs of Life, Fairgrounds, St.Pete, FL

NOV 2020 Core Sample 核芯樣本, 臺灣當代文化實驗場 C-LAB, Taipei, Taiwan

OCT 2020 Core Sample 核芯樣本, 2020 DigiWave|無條件進位 CeilToInt();, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

SEP 2020  Soundform No.1, Japan Media Art Festival Excellent Award, Tokyo, Japan

SEP 2020  Natura Machina: Teenage Meadow, Digital Craft Exhibition at Applied Contemporary, Oakland, CA

OCT 2019  Natura Machina: Teenage Meadow, CODAME ART+TECH Festival, San Francisco, CA

SEP 2019   Soundform No.1, Ars Electronica, Linz, Austria.

AUG 2018  NaturaMachina: Newborn, Vibrant Matter: Artworks Refiguring Form, Los Angeles, CA

MAY 2018  Playform, Currents New Media Festival, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA.

JUL 2016   Waveform 2.0, Granoff Center Gallery, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.

DEC 2014  TOOL, Cooper Hewitt Design Museum, New York City, USA, (Sketchbot)

JUN 2011  Interacción I/O/I, Disseny Hub Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. (GIFFI)

JUN 2011  Three River Festival, Assemble Gallery, Pittsburgh, USA. (GIFFI, ROBBBUTTERFLY, PLUNKO)

MAY 2011  Maker Faire Bay Area, San Mateo County Event Center, San Mateo, USA. (GIFFI)

APR 2011  3DDC, Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC, USA, (Cutter)

SEP 2010  Maker Faire NY, New York Hall of Science, New York, USA. (Cutter)

MAY 2010 Frame Gallery, Pittsburgh, USA. (Head Monster)

Awards

2020 23rd Japan Media Arts Festival 文化庁メディア芸術祭 Art Division Excellence Award (Natura Machina)

2017 Core77 Notable Interaction Award: Museum of the Future: Machinic Life (Tellart)

2017 Best of CES Award Engadget: Toyota Concept-i (Tellart)

2015 IXDA Interaction Award Shortlist in Engaging: The Coffee Connector (Tellart)

2014 Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum's permanent collection: Sketchbot (Tellart)

2014 Core77 Interaction Professional Notable: The Binoculars (Tellart)

2013 IXDA Interaction Award Finalist in Engaging: Chrome Web Lab (Tellart)

2013 Core77 Interaction & Exhibition Winner: Chrome Web Lab (Tellart)

Grants

UTokyo Innovation for Intelligent World Fellowship (2023-2026)

UC Berkeley Creative Curriculum Grant 2022-2023

UC Berkeley Professional Development Fund 2021-2022

Taiwan Ministry of Culture Arts and Technology: Creative Innovation and Counseling Project 2020

UC Berkeley Professional Development Fund 2018-2019

Teaching

2023 Spring, Instructor: Designing Emerging Technology I, UC Berkeley, Berkeley CA

2022 Summer, Instructor: Maker Launchpad Program, UC Berkeley, Berkeley CA

2022 Spring, Instructor: Material and Tangible Interaction Workshop, Institute for Applied Arts, NYCU, Taiwan.

2022 Spring, Instructor: Designing Emerging Technology I, UC Berkeley, Berkeley CA

2022 Spring, Instructor: Creative Programming and Electronics, UC Berkeley, Berkeley CA

2021 Fall, Instructor: Computational & Studio Practice, California College of the Arts, San Francisco CA

2021 Fall, Instructor: New Material and Design Workshop, Institute for Applied Arts, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taiwan.

2021 Summer, Instructor: Creative Programming and Electronics, UC Berkeley, Berkeley CA

2020 Spring, Instructor: Creative Programming and Electronics, UC Berkeley, Berkeley CA

2019 Summer, Instructor: Creative Programming and Electronics, UC Berkeley, Berkeley CA

2019 Spring, Instructor: Creative Programming and Electronics, UC Berkeley, Berkeley CA

2018 Spring, Instructor: Reimagining Mobility, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA.

2016 Fall, Instructor: Internet of Trees, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI

2016 Spring, Instructor: Creative Imaging Lab, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI

2015 Fall, Instructor: Drawing Machine, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence

2011 Spring, Teaching Assistant: Experimental Form, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA.

2010 Spring, Lecturer: Making Things Interactive, School of Architecture, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA.

Invited lectures

“Artists’ Talk”, ICC, Japan 2023.12.23

“p55p:poetry-people-politics-pedagogy-processing”, Processing Community Day 2021.11.17

“Kunya Kunya Workshop”, SCCD, Taiwan 2021.4.24

“Poetic Electronics”, National Sun Yat-sen University, Taiwan 2021.4.13

“Co-Living Co-Healing Workshop”, Institute of Applied Arts, NYCU, Taiwan 2021.3.12

“Natura Machina”, MindshareLA, USA 2019.08.03

Education

2023 - Present PhD, The University of Tokyo, Japan

2010 MtID, Master of Tangible Interaction Design, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA

2007 BS, Bachelor in Electronic Engineering, National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan

2007 Certificate, Digital Content Program, National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan