Bio & Headshot

Canonical bio copy and downloadable headshots.

This page is the clean handoff for publications, introductions, conference materials, and other requests for a short bio and approved headshots.

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Short Professional Bio

Ready to use for event pages, introductions, and publication notes.

Julian Bleecker, Ph.D., is a designer, engineer, entrepreneur, and creative R&D practitioner working at the intersection of emerging technology, product experience, and culture. He is the founder and principal of Near Future Laboratory, a creative research and design practice established in 2005, where he develops speculative prototypes, artifacts, stories, and experiences that make emerging technologies tangible and available for cultural examination. He also founded OMATA, creating the OMATA One hybrid analog-digital cycling computer and leading its development from early prototypes through product, engineering, brand, and company-building to a successful sale in 2022. His work in design fiction explores how tools, interfaces, and technological systems shape everyday behavior, social meaning, and participation. He is the author of It’s Time To Imagine Harder and co-author of The Manual of Design Fiction. He holds degrees from Cornell University, the University of Washington, and UC Santa Cruz.

Canonical Bio

Longer copy for contexts that need more background.

Julian Bleecker, Ph.D., is a researcher, designer, engineer, and entrepreneur. He is synonymous with Near Future Laboratory, the platform he founded originally as a blog in 2005, which has since become his company through which he does commercial work. He also founded and led the product company OMATA from concept to successful sale in 2022, creating the OMATA One hybrid analog-digital cycling computer and contributing directly across early prototyping, industrial design direction, engineering architecture, iOS app development, manufacturing oversight, and brand-building.

He is the author of Design Fiction: A Short Essay on Design, Science, Fact and Fiction, 'It's Time To Imagine Harder', and an author of 'The Manual of Design Fiction', the canonical reference for the eponymous practice that has evolved creative practices globally.

In addition to his work as an entrepreneur, Julian is an active researcher with strong ties and stakes to academics, pedagogy, and learning & professional development.

Julian has a Ph.D. in History of Consciousness from UC Santa Cruz where he studied and taught with Professors Donna J. Haraway, and Angela Y. Davis. He has an MSEng from the University of Washington, and a BS in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University.

Headshots

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JPEG screen resolution

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JPEG print resolution

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Julian Bleecker portrait — WebP portrait

Please attribute photo credit to Marc Royce.