Bruce Tharp

Scotland Visiting Professorship at the Glasgow School of Art - Design

Believed to be the first industrial designer to receive a PhD in anthropology (University of Chicago), in 1998 Bruce began researching the material culture of Indiana's Old Order Amish,  focusing on the production & consumption of value. He first earned a BS in mechanical engineering from Bucknell University and a master’s degree in industrial design from Pratt Institute. He also served as a US Army nuclear weapons officer (Captain) in Germany. After researching the future of work and the workplace for Haworth Inc.'s design research think-tank, the Ideation Group, he began his teaching career. Over the last sixteen years he has been a tenured professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the U. of Illinois—Chicago, and currently at the U. of Michigan’s Stamps School of Art & Design. His co-run, award-winning design studio has exhibited internationally, licensed designs for local and global companies, and self-produced commercial, experimental, and discursive products.