Virj Kan 

Virj Kan is a designer, materials engineer, and the Founder of Primitives Biodesign. Primitives is a b-corp company that develops advanced materials to drive nature and ecosystem restoration. Working at the intersection of business, technology, and the arts, Kan’s work is centered on designing innovative materials that reshape how we interact and relate to the environment. Her body of work has spanned from developing biodegradable plastics that sense and respond to the environment, to engineering tattoo inks that display health data, and producing fine marble made from sea urchins that restore kelp forests.

Kan’s academic research investigates new technologies and material interfaces to bridge disparate communication systems between nature, technology, and people. Her research has encompassed topics in active & programmable matter, digital fabrication, internet of things (IoT), wearable and physical computing. Her work and publications in the field of human-computer interaction, biodesign, and sustainable chemistry has earned recognition with awards like the SXSW Interactive Innovation award, ACM CHI Best Paper award, Audi Greentech Award, ACM CHI Golden Mouse award, Information is Beautiful award, and ISC3 Sustainable Chemistry Audience award. In her art practice, Kan draws on her interdisciplinary background in the arts and sciences to probe identity systems through biomedia, performative sculpture, and interactive installations. Her work has been exhibited internationally and featured in prominent media outlets including Ars Electronica, TED, New York Times, VICE,  Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Dezeen, Washington Post, Business Insider, Forbes, Popular Mechanics, Design Boom, Gizmodo, Fast Company, and CNN. She has held roles at leading innovation labs, including NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Samsung Design Innovation Center, and MIT Media Lab. She holds a Master of Science from MIT and a Bachelor of Science from Art Center College of Design.