Asta Roseway
Principal Research Designer / Fusionist
About
In the realm of technology, Asta Roseway saunters through the corridors of Microsoft Research like an enigmatic, all-knowing fusionist. The term, as she’d like to explain it, refers to those who gracefully skip from one discipline to another, sprinkling their designer’s pixie dust along the way.
As a Principal Research Designer, her keen eye is forever trained on the horizon, where the sun rises and sets on issues like the environment, emotional health, social consciousness, and sustainability. Her curious mind often finds itself chanting a familiar mantra, “What if?” And oh, the places she goes when her “what if” train leaves the station: smart tattoos, chatty flora, living architecture, and even wearable light therapy baubles for those who wilt when winter’s darkness descends.
Asta’s passion extends beyond her innovative creations, as she continually waves her wand to conjure a diverse and inclusive culture. With her touch, Microsoft’s first-ever Artist in Residence program was born, allowing creative souls to frolic amongst the research community. Their joint masterpieces have graced the stages of such esteemed events as Ars Electronica, SXSW, CES, and Biofabricate in the Big Apple.
Never one to rest on her laurels, Asta co-founded Digigirlz, one of Microsoft’s oldest diversity programs, aimed at inspiring high school girls to pursue the enchanting world of technology. Hailing from the hallowed halls of Parsons School of Design, she’s living proof that magic can be found at the intersection of art, science, and a sprinkle of Fusionist dust. (Created by ChatGPT4 David Sedaris)
Who is Ada (opens in new tab)?
Could our plants (opens in new tab) talk to us someday?
How does air quality (opens in new tab) vary per person?
Microsoft Research Podcast
Art + Architecture + AI = Ada with Jenny Sabin and Asta Roseway
Episode 96 | October 30, 2019 - Jenny Sabin is an architectural designer, a professor, a studio principal and MSR’s current Artist in Residence. Asta Roseway is a principal research designer, a “fusionist” and the co-founder of the Artist in Residence program at Microsoft Research. The two, along with a stellar multi-disciplinary team, recently completed the installation of Ada, the first interactive architectural pavilion powered by AI, in the heart of the Microsoft Research building in Redmond. On the podcast, Jenny and Asta talk about life at the intersection of art and science; tell us why the Artist in Residence program pushes the boundaries of technology in unexpected ways; and reveal their vision of the future of bio-inspired, human-centered, AI-infused architecture.
The future is fusion with Asta Roseway
Episode 44 | October 3, 2018 - Asta Roseway has a formal title. It’s Principal Research Designer in the HCI group at Microsoft Research. But she’s also been described as a conductor, an alchemist, a millennial in a Gen-Xer’s body and, in her own words, a fusionist. What’s a fusionist, you might ask? Well, you’re about to find out.