Prof. Dr. Ken Nah

Korea

Professor, Hongik University, South Korea
Board Member, World Design Organization (WDO)
Senior Vice President, Korea Federation of Design Associations (KFDA)
Juror for international design competitions including Red Dot Award, Dyson Award, Better Design Award, and Korea K-Design Award

Professor Ken Nah graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Hanyang University, South Korea, in 1983. He further developed his interest in Human Factors/Ergonomics by earning a master's degree from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in 1985. In 1996, he received a Ph.D. in Engineering Design from Tufts University in Boston.

Ken Nah is also a Certified Professional Ergonomist (CPE) in the United States, being the first Korean to achieve this certification. From 2000 to 2025, he served as a Professor of Design at the International Design School for Advanced Studies (IDAS), Hongik University in Seoul, South Korea, and concurrently held the position of Director at the Human Experience and Emotion Research (HE.ER) Lab. Since 2002, he has been the Director of the International Design Trend Center (IDTC). Professor Ken Nah also served as the Director General of "World Design Capital Seoul 2010."

In addition to his academic role, he held the position of Senior Vice-President of the Korea Federation of Design Associations (KFDA) and the Korea Association of Industrial Designers (KAID). Since 2000, Ken Nah has been an advisor on design policy for several ministries of the Korean government. Furthermore, he is a board member of the World Design Organization (WDO).