I am an Associate Professor of Interaction Design at EKA. I have taught various courses and conducted workshops at both undergraduate and graduate levels in Estonia, Latvia, Denmark, and Belgium, focusing on interaction design and speculative design. Through my teaching, I have fostered collaborations between academia and industry, and in recognition of my efforts, I was elected as the teacher of the year at EKA by the students’ survey in 2024. In addition to my teaching role, I am a researcher at EKA and a member of the Sensorial Design research group. I’m leading the project “COD-F,” which aims to bridge the emotional distance between families, inspired by the phenomenology of intimacy. My interests include embodied, participatory, and speculative approaches to design.
Research Activity
Associated Institutions and Positions
2024–Present — Associate Professor (0,75) and Researcher (0,25) – Estonian Academy of Arts, Faculty of Design
2019–2024 — Visiting Lecturer (0,75) and MA Curriculum Designer (0,25) – Estonian Academy of Arts, Faculty of Design
2020–2024 — Estonian Academy of Arts, Doctoral student (1,00) – Estonian Academy of Arts, Doctoral School
Academic Degrees
PhD — Estonian Academy of Arts, “Arts and Design”, Doctor’s Degree (2020–2024)
MA — Estonian Academy of Arts, “Interaction Design”, Master’s Degree (2017–2019)
BA — Bordeaux Montaigne University, “Communications, and Media”, Dual Bachelor’s Degree (2013–2016)
BA — Galatasaray University, “Communications”, Bachelor’s Degree (2012–2016)
Design Research Projects
Creative Research Grant — Co-creating Design(s) to Support Intimacy Between Remote Families (COD-F) – A6033UTNHO (2025–2027); Principal Researcher: Nesli Hazal Oktay; Co-researchers: Kristi Kuusk, Azeem Hamid, Eva Liisa Kubinyi, Zaur Babayev. Project link: https://www.etis.ee/Portal/Projects/Display/80654cb3-b83f-4111-a1a3-7023579c35b7. Financier: Estonian Academy of Arts; Financing: 40 000 EUR.
Creative Research Grant — Multi-Sensory Design for Somatic Care – A6033UAD (2023–2025); Principal Researcher: Arife Dila Demir; Co-researchers: Nesli Hazal Oktay, Kristi Kuusk. Project link: https://www.etis.ee/Portal/Projects/Display/b00ee3ce-945f-4967-8737-cc56047734e5. Financier: Estonian Academy of Arts; Financing: 70 000 EUR.
Creative Research Grant — Sensorial Design – A6033UKKU (2021–2023); Principal Researcher: Kristi Kuusk; Co-researchers: Nesli Hazal Oktay, Arife Dila Demir. Project link: https://www.etis.ee/Portal/Projects/Display/ff885b69-7d42-4969-9867-e68b8d42e8a7. Financier: Estonian Academy of Arts. Financing: 40 000 EUR.
Residency — Gazing for Meaning (2020–2021), STARTS.EE art-science resident. Residents: Nesli Hazal Oktay, Mati Mõttus. Project link: https://youtu.be/6DuAPnrgVwg. Financier: Tallinn University School of Digital Technologies,eˉlektron and STARTS.EU. Financing: Contract-based
Nesli Hazal Oktay 