About the Smart Customization Group
The MIT Smart Customization Group is an MIT-Industry collaboration devoted to improving the ability of companies to efficiently customize products, services, and experiences in various industries and for diverse customer groups. This industry interest group aggregates the key players in the area of mass customization and strives to become a vital community of practice in this field.
The Smart Customization Group faculty consists of Frank Piller, Kent Larson, Joe Pine, Marvin Minsky, Ryan Chin, Daniel Smithwick, and Fabrizio Salvador as well as other members from the MIT community. While its members are international researchers, the group is based in the MIT Media Lab.
Through partnership with the MIT Living Labs consortium, the Smart Customization Group engages in research projects ranging from the development of pro-active health technologies, to creating platforms for mass customization, to rethinking systems for transportation and city design. MIT Living Labs brings together interdisciplinary experts to develop, deploy, and test - in actual living environments - new technologies and strategies for design that respond to this changing world. Our work spans in scale from the personal to the urban, and addresses challenges related to health, energy, and creativity.
In Memory of William J. Mitchell
The Smart Customization Group is dedicated to the values, principles and memory of its founder, William J. Mitchell (1944 - 2010).
William J. Mitchell, head of the Media Lab’s Smart Cities research group and former dean of MIT’s School of Architecture and Planning, died on June 11, 2010 after a long battle with cancer.
Bill was an inspirational thinker and prolific writer who touched the lives of many while challenging conventional concepts about sustainable cities, urban transportation, and design. During his 18 years at MIT, he left a lasting impact, not only on the MIT campus, but throughout the world.
Professor of Architecture and Media Arts and Sciences at MIT, holds the Alexander W. Dreyfoos, Jr. (1954) Professorship and directs the Media Lab's Smart Cities research group as well as the MIT Design Lab, a multidisciplinary laboratory within the School of Architecture and Planning. He was formerly Dean of the School of Architecture and Planning and Head of the Program in Media Arts and Sciences, both at MIT.
Recent Book: Reiventing the Automobile
Visit Bill's Media Lab Memorial Page