Juan Noguera Headshot

Juan Noguera

Assistant Professor, Art - Design and Applied Arts

School of Design
College of Art and Design
jcnfaa@rit.edu
585-475-2199
Office Location
BOO-4616

Juan Noguera

Assistant Professor, Art - Design and Applied Arts

School of Design
College of Art and Design

Bio

Juan Carlos Noguera is an Assistant Professor of Industrial Design, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate studios on product development, digital workflows, and design for manufacturing. His work explores how emerging technologies, especially AI, generative tools, and digital fabrication, can enhance creativity while remaining grounded in craft, ethics, and human-centered practice. Noguera collaborates with engineers, artisans, and industry partners on projects ranging from soft robotic exoskeletons and medical devices to traditional craft. At RIT he is actively involved in curriculum innovation, helping students integrate AI-driven visualization, prototyping, and research into their design process. His scholarship and creative practice have been presented in international venues, and he regularly mentors students on projects that connect design, technology, and social impact. Noguera holds a deep commitment to collaborative learning and to expanding access to advanced design tools for diverse communities as an educator and designer.

jcnfaa@rit.edu
585-475-2199
Personal Links
Personal Website

Currently Teaching

IDDE-206
ID Form
3 Credits
ID form emphasizes the cognitive and the technical skills necessary to manipulate material for the accurate three-dimensional communication of design intent. Projects focus on understanding the relationship of materials, manufacturing processes, products and the user. **Fee: A materials fee is required for this course, and an additional course fee applied via student account**
IDDE-212
Integrated Computer-Aided Design
3 Credits
Students will develop the skills needed to effectively develop and communicate design concepts graphically, digitally and three-dimensionally, consistent with professional industrial design practice standards. Emphasis will be placed on the development, integration and application of computer aided design skills throughout the assignments, utilizing the relationship of analog and digital mediums as a means of enriching the design process.
IDDE-301
Junior ID Studio I
3 Credits
Students will explore the benefits and challenges of working with a design team to address a complex product, problem, or system. Students will explore group dynamics, creativity in design teams, as well as the nature of complex problems and the various methods required to solve them. **Fee: A course fee is required for this course and applied via student account**
IDDE-599
Industrial Design Independent Study
1-6 Credits
Industrial Design Independent Study provides students the means to study in a specialized area with an individual faculty member. With the assistance of their faculty advisers, students will propose a course of study. Students must obtain permission of an instructor and complete the Independent Study Permission Form to enroll. A 3.0 or higher GPA required.
IDDE-698
Industrial Design Internship
1-6 Credits
The Industrial Design Internship provides students the option to work in the industrial design field. Students must obtain permission of an instructor and complete the Internship Permission Form to enroll.
IDDE-701
Design Laboratory I
3 Credits
Design Laboratory I is part one of a studio sequence that provides a forum for discourse and experimentation in design. Critical analysis, contextual relevance and research methodologies are developed and used as a means to define the role of design and the designer in creating consequential solutions for the social, economical and environmental betterment of the global communities. Projects will extend these ideas into the practice of industrial design as a mode of understanding the relationships that exist between the user, the community and the designed artifacts. Opportunities for inter and trans-disciplinary collaborations will broaden the scope of the projects. We will design through a process of iteration and reiteration, empathic exploration, and the development of the physical artifacts. Categories of products may include: consumer goods, equipment, transportation, furniture, or packaging.
IDDE-790
Thesis: Research and Planning
6 Credits
The first of a two-course thesis sequence, the focus of this course is on establishing content, planning, scheduling, and research seeking innovative solutions through the process of concept development, ideation, and in-process evaluation. Final articulation of the project is approved by a faculty committee, presented in a graduate thesis show and accompanied by a written document that addresses how the theories and methods used in the project impact the current and future state of design in society.
IDDE-799
Industrial Design Independent Study
1-6 Credits
Industrial Design Independent Study provides students the means to study in a specialized area with an individual faculty member. With the assistance of their faculty advisers, students will propose a course of study. Students must obtain permission of an instructor and complete the Independent Study Permission Form to enroll. **NOTE: Student must have a minimum 3.0 GPA **
IDDE-887
Industrial Design Part-Time Co-op
0 Credits
Cooperative Education will provide Industrial Design students with hands-on experience in their field, directly related to a student’s major with an established studio or related business. Students will need to apply for co-ops, and interview as part of the selection process, based on available positions posted by the Co-op and Career Services Office, or found through the students’ own research. In programs where co-op is a degree requirement, students must obtain permission of their program or graduate director prior to enrollment. Co-ops are typically paid work experience, and can be part-time (150-479 total hours within the term), or full-time (480+ hours within the term). Co-ops may be one or two consecutive terms - fall, spring, or summer – with department permission.
IDDE-890
Thesis: Implementation and Evaluation
6 Credits
The second of a two-course thesis sequence, this course focuses on continued concept development of a thesis, concluding with the implementation and retrospective evaluation of chosen design problem. Solution is presented in a public exhibition, complemented by a written articulation of how the theories and methods employed in the project impact the current and future state of design in society.
IDDE-892
Continuation of Thesis Industrial Design
0 Credits
The Industrial Design Continuation of Thesis course provides student additional semester(s) to complete their thesis research, project, and thesis document.

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Featured Work

Renderings of a chair designed for kids.

Artificial Intelligence in Design

Juan Noguera

RIT industrial design MFA students, under the guidance of Assistant Professor Juan Noguera, investigated the role artificial intelligence (AI) can play in improving the design process. 

View More about Artificial Intelligence in Design