Berfin Ataman

Berfin Ataman is a designer and researcher whose work examines how material intelligence, fabrication, and computation can enable adaptive systems across scales. She focuses on programmable material systems, emerging fabrication methods, and multi-scale structures, from soft robotic textiles to deployable space systems,that can assemble, transform, or respond to changing conditions. She is particularly interested in how reversible assemblies and dynamic material behaviors can open new possibilities for responsive design in both extreme and everyday environments.

Her works have been showcased in exhibitions and museums like 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, the CICA Museum and A+D Museum in Los Angeles. Ataman received the Design Award from the Architecture and Design Museum. 

After receiving her MFA from UCLA, Design Media Arts, she served as a lecturer at the UCLA Design Media Arts Department. She is currently continuing her research at MIT.

Projects
Publications
Berfin Ataman, Lee Marom
Tufted Coconut–Wool Composite for High-Performance Thermal and Acoustic Insulation
ICBMC
2026
Ataman, B., Gallardo, R., Doucatz, Q.
Affective Translation: Soft Kinetic Textiles for Human–Robot Interaction.
HCI International (In peer review)
2026
Kwon, C., Ataman, B, Wang, Y., Ortiz, S., Paige, C., Hoffman, J., Tibbits, S.
HAVEN: Deployable Emergency Re-Entry Capsule
IEEE Aerospace Conference
2026
Mutis, S., Wan, W. L., Ataman, B., Suk, A., Li, J., & Farahi, B.
InSituWear: On-Body Fabrication of Custom-Fit Wearables Using Melt-Drawn PCL Filaments
CHI
2026
Mutis, S. Ataman, B.
A Stock-Aware Multi-Objective Method for Discrete Multi-Material Structures.
eCAADe (In peer review)
2026