
Sophia Collender is a New York–based design engineer and researcher who builds accessible, user-centered digital experiences. She works end to end — from research and information architecture through prototyping, component development, and production code — with a focus on making complex systems clear and usable. Her practice spans front-end development, physical computing, and 3D fabrication, and she brings the same approach to each: understand the people and the system first, then build the thing they need.
She holds a master's from NYU Tisch's Interactive Telecommunications Program, and has exhibited work at Yale's Center for Collaborative Arts and Media and the New York Transit Museum. Her work has received support from the Interledger Foundation and the NYU Prototyping Fund, sponsored by the National Science Foundation.
Skills
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Code
HTML5, CSS, JavaScript, Node.js, Express, Python (Jupyter), Git
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Design + Prototyping
Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Fusion 360, 3D printing and fabrication, microcontrollers and circuit prototyping
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Accessibility + Research
Accessible design patterns, information architecture, usability testing
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Tools + Platforms
FileMaker Pro, Airtable, Excel, Google Workspace, WordPress
Press
- Designboom
- NYU Tisch
- Free York
- Bigumigu
Education
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May 2026
New York University, Tisch School of the Arts
Master's Degree, Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) -
May 2024
Fordham University, Lincoln Center
Bachelor's Degree, Film, minor in Art History
Grants + Awards
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2025
Grant Recipient, Interledger Foundation — Awarded funding to research interoperable finance in global transit systems, Mexico City, Mexico.
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2024 & 2026
Grant Recipient, NYU Prototyping Fund — Designed and built a prototype exploring tactile music interaction, New York, NY.
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Nov 2025
Presenter, Interledger Foundation — Delineated research findings at the annual international conference, Mexico City, Mexico.
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2024
Best Experimental Film, NYFTSA Short Film Festival — TECHNOLOGIC awarded first place in the Experimental Film category, New York, NY.
Exhibitions + Publications
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2026
Group Exhibition, "Look at Her," video, 00:59 (2025), A Home Together, FLOHAUS, New York, NY.
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2026
Group Exhibition, "The Tridimensional Institute for Transportation Research, Analysis, and Discourse: Cartography Division," The New York Transit Museum, Brooklyn, NY.
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2026
Group Exhibition, "Portrait of an Alter Ego," Reflections: Portraits that Define Community, Mana Contemporary, Jersey City, NJ.
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2026
Group Exhibition, "The Global Institute for Transportation Research, Analysis, and Discourse: Cartography Division," Yale Center for Collaborative Arts and Media (CCAM), New Haven, CT.
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2026
Group Exhibition, "Escape Clause," Complications, The New York Horological Society, New York, NY.
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2025
Group Exhibition, "Simulacra," Regensis, Flora Residency and Group Show, Brooklyn, NY.
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2025
Performance, "The North American Institute for Transportation Research, Analysis, and Discourse: Cartography Division," New Interfaces for Musical Expression (NIME) Show, Littlefield, Brooklyn, NY.
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2025
Group Exhibition, "Rhetoric in Arms," The Public's Domain: Transforming Iconic Works of Fiction and Sound, Mamdouha S. Bobst Gallery, New York, NY.
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2024
Group Exhibition, "MIND CONTROL," Interactive Media Art Show, Brooklyn, NY.
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2025
Publication, "Being Without Brains: Exploring Slime Mold, AI, and Non-Human Spatial Intelligence," Adjacent Journal of Emerging Media.
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2025
Publication, "The Slime Mold Web Archive," Ranger Magazine.
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2025
Publication, "The Consequences of Staying Still," Wisteria Zine.
Work Experience
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May 2024 – Present
Art Collections Design Researcher, St. Lifer Art
Built and maintained the collection's digital workflows — ongoing updates to an active CMS sales platform, email campaigns via Constant Contact, artwork documentation, and promotional graphics; designed the information architecture and schema for a FileMaker Pro database cataloging client artwork to support market research for an art appraiser; architected collections data across Google Sheets and Excel. -
Oct 2024 – May 2026
Research and Data Specialist, NYU Equitable Syllabus Project
Designed and built structured digital archives and datasets for accessible, long-term reuse; collaborated in Figma with the lead designer on information architecture, interaction patterns, and visual design; contributed to an accessible-by-design approach to data presentation, navigation, and usability. -
Sept – Dec 2025
Graduate Assistant, New York University
Assisted with the development of graduate-level curriculum; facilitated group discussions and provided academic feedback. -
Sept 2023 – Apr 2024
Art and Film Editorial Intern, INTERSECT Magazine
Wrote and published weekly articles on art, film, and television; crafted pitches based on Gen Z trend analysis. -
Jun – Aug 2023
Gallery Web Design Intern, WhiteBox
Collaborated on the redesign and ongoing development of the organization's WordPress website; worked across curatorial, administrative, and digital-design functions in a fast-paced arts organization. -
Jan – May 2023
Production Intern, Luminoustudios
Wrote and reviewed commercial scripts; worked as a Production Assistant on shoots for clients including H&M. -
Oct – Dec 2022
Graphic Designer, Article 25, London
Summarized the annual efforts of the UK's leading architectural NGO; worked with InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator to create informative print material.