Carly Hagins

Assistant Professor

Carly Hagins is an Assistant Professor of Product Design at the University of Kentucky. She earned her MFA in Industrial Design at the University of Notre Dame, where her graduate work focused on design interventions that support undergraduate well-being. Prior to joining the team at UK, Carly helped launch the product design program at Western Michigan University's Richmond Institute for Design and Innovation as a tenure-track assistant professor. She has also developed and taught a range of industrial design courses at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, MA. Carly's dedication to teaching and building community within the classroom earned her the 2023 IDSA Young Educator Award.

Building on her research focus established at Notre Dame, Carly's scholarly work focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion and the student experience within the field of industrial design. She continually collaborates with scholars from across the US, and has presented her research internationally. As a practicing designer, Carly has developed children’s toys and packaging and supported brewery operations with packaging design, merchandise design, and photography. Most recently, she has provided live illustration for consumer research workshops and product development brainstorms.