Lay Named Industrial Design Program Chair

Associate Professor Rusty Lay has been named the Industrial Design Program Chair in the School of Industrial and Graphic Design, succeeding Shea Tillman, Bauhaus Professor of Industrial Design. Tillman has served as the program chair since the fall of 2019.

In his new role, Lay will be responsible for the program leadership, curriculum review and academic standards and will assist with student recruitment. Lay holds a Bachelor of Science in Fine Arts from Vanderbilt University as well as a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Design and a Master of Industrial Design from Auburn. His most recent research has focused on consumer-level approaches to aquaponics, and he is currently collaborating with horticulture professor Daniel Wells on a USDA-funded project to expand aquaponics research at Auburn.

“I am excited to serve our program for the next three years,” Lay stated. “I’m thankful for Shea’s excellent leadership and his commitment to our faculty, staff and students. I look forward to seeing our program evolve while maintaining our core strengths and traditional industrial design education. As industry expectations and practices evolve and new opportunities are provided, we are well positioned to maintain our strong heritage while examining and enhancing our competitive design education.”