Subalekha Udayasankar

Adjunct Instructor

Subalekha Udayasankar brings a unique blend of design, computer science, and social entrepreneurship to her role as a faculty member.  She leverages this multidisciplinary background to develop technological projects that empower people, fostering critical engagement and problem-solving.

Subalekha's passion for human-centered design is evident throughout her career.  She has consulted with innovators on products addressing social mobility, disaster response, and community building.  Her work with Paper & Equator combined human-centered design with cutting-edge technologies to create mobile experiences.  Earlier, as Games Research Lead, she consulted on games and mobile products, investigating smartphone usage and cultural impact in urban environments.
Subalekha's expertise extends to educational technology.  She spearheaded the development of an AI platform for early education, ensuring user experience remained central during development.  Her teaching philosophy at Cooper Union reflects this focus, where she fosters a collaborative environment that equips students to use technology for positive change. She focuses on project-based learning and systems-thinking to develop skills for the rapidly changing professional world.

Subalekha's dedication to social impact goes beyond the classroom.  She co-led research on "Project Lantern," a decentralized network for disaster recovery, which received the National Science Foundation / Mozilla Grand Prize.  Her critically acclaimed card game "Bycatch" tackles the sensitive issue of flawed surveillance and drone warfare data.

Subalekha's fluency in English and Tamil, with proficiency in Hindi and Spanish, allows her to connect with diverse communities.  Her experience as a speaker showcases her thought leadership on topics like cultural trauma, empathy in AI, and games for learning in the IBM documentary Code & Response, Playful London and a few podcasts.

Subalekha Udayasankar's work stems from her belief that technology, when rooted in empathy, can empower, educate, and connect communities.

EDUCATION
Master of Fine Arts, Design & Technology
Parsons the New School for Design 2009
Thesis: Psychogeography, augmented gaming systems & asynchronous play

Master of Science, Computer Science
Miami University 2006 Graduate Fellowship Recipient
Thesis: Autonomous robotic networks | Automated databases for disaster relief

Bachelor of Engineering, Electronics & Communication Engineering
University of Madras 2004
Thesis: Microcontrollers and sms- based smart home automation

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.