Liz Gerber, Ph.D.

Liz Gerber, Ph.D. is a professor at Northwestern University, co-director of Northwestern’s Center for Human Computer Interaction + Design, and faculty founder of Design for America, a national network of interdisciplinary students who work together to solve problems they care about in their community. She is the host of the Technical Difficulties podcast, centered on the stories of female leaders in tech and design.

A globally-recognized expert in the areas of innovation, technology, and collaboration, Gerber has served as an innovation strategist, executive adviser, leadership coach, and innovation trainer for several of the world’s premier organizations, including Fortune Global 500 corporations, philanthropic and humanitarian organizations, and educational institutions. She also co-developed Design for America’s Leadership Studio, an annual national leadership summit for leaders of social innovation.

As a young graduate student, Gerber co-founded the design and business initiative at the world-renowned Stanford “d.school” started by David Kelley. And as a first year faculty, started Design for America, the award winning national network of social innovators. She is one of this generation’s most trusted and influential voices in design and innovation, having created two initiatives that has already impacted tens of thousands of lives across social economic and interdisciplinary boundaries.

Gerber is an internationally sought-after teacher and conference speaker. She and her award-winning work have been featured in global media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, NPR, ABC, Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Fast Company, Smithsonian Magazine, The Nation, Popular Science, The Guardian, and O, the Oprah Magazine.

Gerber holds a Ph.D. in Management Science and Engineering and an MS in Product Design from Stanford University, and a BA in Art and Engineering from Dartmouth College.