iPod inventor and Nest founder Tony Fadell named MAD's Inaugural Designer in Residence

By Adelaide Zollinger

 The MIT Morningside Academy for Design (MAD) has named Tony Fadell, inventor, entrepreneur, investor, and author of Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making, as its inaugural Designer in Residence. Fadell, known for his creation of the iPod, iPhone, and Nest, will join MAD and the MIT community across Fall 2025 and January 2026 for a series of student and public engagements. 

Fadell’s residency comes as the iPod — launched in October 2001 — marks its 24th anniversary, underscoring his role in shaping how technology and design intersect in everyday life. At MIT, he will participate in a series of engagements with students and faculty, including a book club, design challenge, and a major public talk in conversation with Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator of Architecture and Design at The Museum of Modern Art. 

While at MIT, Fadell will: 

Take part in MAD Reads, a discussion of Fadell’s book Build open to the public on October 21, 2025, 12–1pm. 

Participate in Making What Matters, a public conversation with MoMA’s Paola Antonelli on October 22, 2025, 5:30pm, co-presented by MAD and the MIT Media Lab. 

Meet with MAD Design Fellows and MIT faculty members. Participate in a lunch discussion with first-year students in MAD’s DesignPlus Learning Community. 

Lead a hands-on design challenge with students during MIT’s Independent Activities Period (IAP) in January 2026. 

Tony Fadell said: 

“MIT invents bold ideas that can become world-changing realities to improve humanity. I’ve seen that best-in-class design gives us all superpowers to shape our future. Being MAD’s first Designer in Residence at MIT is humbling & energizing. I’m very excited to immerse myself into the MIT community to share and learn.” 

John Ochsendorf, Founding Director of MAD, noted: 

“Tony Fadell has moved between engineering, design, and entrepreneurship throughout his career, and we are thrilled to bring that perspective to MIT. As MAD’s inaugural Designer in Residence, he will engage with students and faculty across the Institute, strengthening our mission to make design a shared language at MIT.” 

2025–26 events with Tony Fadell at MIT 

MAD Reads October 21, 2025, 12–1pm | Zoom A discussion open to the public on Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making. Event page & registration 

Making What Matters A public conversation between Tony Fadell and Paola Antonelli October 22, 2025, 5:30pm | MIT Media Lab In dialogue with Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator of Architecture and Design at MoMA. Event page & registration 

Design Challenge with Students January 20–22, 2026 / MIT Independent Activities Period Hands-on design challenge led by Tony Fadell with MIT students. 

About Tony Fadell Anthony “Tony” Fadell is an active investor and entrepreneur with a 30+ year history of founding companies and designing products that profoundly improve people’s lives. He founded Nest Labs, Inc. in 2010 and served as its Chief Executive Officer until 2016. Known as the “father of the iPod,” he joined Apple Computer Inc. in 2001 and, as the SVP of Apple’s iPod division, led the team that created the first 18 generations of the iPod and the first three generations of the iPhone. 

Fadell has filed more than 300 patents for his work and was named one of Time's “100 Most Influential People in the World” in 2014. In May 2016, Time named the Nest Learning Thermostat, the iPod and the iPhone three of the “50 Most Influential Gadgets of All Time.” Fadell graduated with a BS degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1991. 

About the Designer in Residence Program at MIT MAD The MIT MAD Designer in Residence program invites leading designers to campus for short-term residencies that foster exchange between global practitioners and the MIT community. Residents share their experience with students while gaining the opportunity to meet faculty, tour labs, and engage with MIT’s diverse research culture. The program highlights design as a mode of discovery and collaboration across disciplines. 

About the MIT Morningside Academy for Design The MIT Morningside Academy for Design (MAD) is an interdisciplinary hub for design education, research, and engagement at MIT. Through its fellowships, learning community, makerspaces, public programs, and partnerships, MAD prepares students to use design as a tool for discovery, collaboration, and shaping a more purposeful future. 

Media contact: Elise Houren, Build Collective | elise@buildc.com Adelaide Zollinger, MIT MAD | adezoll@mit.edu, mitmad@mit.edu 

https://design.mit.edu