Gilad Rosenzweig

Principal, Research and Development Director

The first version of an idea rarely interests Gilad as much as the second, third, or tenth. By then, the initial excitement has worn off and the more revealing work begins: stress-testing a concept until it proves whether it’s actually worth keeping.

As our Firmwide Director of Research and Development, Gilad collaborates with design teams and researchers across studios, practices, and disciplines to ensure intelligence and innovation become a shared global asset. His approach follows three parts: invention, where an idea begins; innovation, where it becomes useful; and, most critically, intrapreneurship, where it becomes part of everyday practice.

With a background in architecture, urban planning, and venture acceleration, Gilad brings two decades of experience advancing R&D across the built environment. As the founding executive director of MITdesignX, he worked with students and faculty to turn ideas, theses, and research into sustainable businesses with global impact. Having supported more than 250 ventures across six continents, he brings a startup mindset to our firm, turning emerging ideas into scalable solutions for some of the world’s most pressing design challenges.

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Invention is the research itself: discovering something, identifying a phenomenon, asking a question without knowing the answer yet. Innovation then gives that discovery a purpose.
Gilad has led a number of initiatives at home and abroad, including an MITdesignX workshop with the government of Mexico City to spark startup ventures across the region.
fun fact

Gilad was the founder and executive director of Smarter in the City, a nonprofit accelerator in Boston that supported underrepresented entrepreneurs working on community-centered efforts and emerging technologies.

Gilad and his family take adventure seriously—from hiking the Continental Divide in Colorado to rafting the rapids of the Cascades in Washington, the great outdoors is always on the itinerary.