BIOGRAPHY

Martin Linder's creative life as an industrial designer, artist, and professor spans four decades.  Martin began his journey in art and design with an apprenticeship in New Hope, PA, with the sculptor James Martin. From there, his BFA works from the Philadelphia College of Art were exhibited at the Snyderman Works Galleries. He received national prominence for his award-winning designs during his graduate studies at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. Martin has recently dedicated himself to the creation of the Liberty Series political art series and the Spirit Board Sculptures.

Martin has focused his professional design work in two areas: The creation of human machine interfaces that enhance airport, rail, automotive security, and health care furniture design. At both InVision Technologies, Reveal Imaging, and SAIC, Martin developed explosive detection interface systems currently used throughout the world. Business Week Magazine honored Martin's achievements with an Industrial Design Excellence Award for innovations in explosive detection industrial design.  His seating designs have received awards and been continually exhibited throughout the entirety of his career, most notably at Knoll/Design America, Steelcase's Metro Furniture, and Herman Miller Health Care Group. Martin won the Nightingale Health Care Product Innovation Award for his Florabella collection for Herman Miller.

Professional activity includes the research, human factors, industrial and interface design for the following transportation explosive detection systems: SAIC Duel Energy Mobile Detection System Industrial and Interface Design, SAIC 6500 Rail and Trailer Scanning System User Interface Design, SAIC XPL Vehicle Scanning System, Reveal Imaging Check Point Security Technology and Configuration Design, Reveal Imaging Airport Carry On EDS Configuration Design, Reveal Imaging 3-D AT Check Point Design. Also, Martin is currently involved in the design of healthcare furniture for the world’s leading corporation, Herman Miller. Recent projects include the research, design, and engineering of performance health care products for hospital waiting rooms and neuropsychiatric hospitals.

Martin has distinguished himself as a design educator and community actionist.  After teaching at the San Francisco Academy of Art and the California College of Art, Martin joined the design faculty at San Francisco State University. He received the prestigious Jefferson Award, a national recognition system honoring community and public service in America, and the Core 77 International Education Award. Martin also received the Outstanding Community Service-Learning Award which acknowledges "Exemplary practice in community-based teaching," and received the Sarlo Excellence in Teaching Faculty Award which is given to a professor who provides “Extraordinary, meaningful, and lasting contributions to teaching." He was also named one of the "Most admired design professors" in Academia by Design Intelligence. San Francisco State University awarded Martin Linder Tenured Full Professor. San Francisco State University honored Martin with the establishment of an endowed student scholarship in his name. 

Martin created three distinct institutes at San Francisco State University: (1) Industrial Design Outreach Organization (IDO) reaches out to public school teenagers in the Bay Area who are inspired by hands-on, tactile, experiential learning. IDO’s program fosters creativity and builds self-confidence. Recently Martin built IDO into a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. (2) The Resolution Optimization Institute (TROI) provides research and design solutions to companies and governmental agencies that work with advanced imaging technologies in explosive detection and medical systems. (3) The Furniture Institute of Technology and Sustainability (FITS) forges furniture design partnerships with industry in research and furniture design projects. 

As an extension of his success as a design educator, his students have also excelled. They have won international research and design awards ncluding the Industrial Design Excellence Award, multiple California State University research awards, and hold key design positions at companies including Nike, Steelcase, IDEO, Hewlett-Packard, Kodak, and the California College of Art.

A contributor to the California State University System and San Francisco State University faculty governance include membership on the California State University Academic State Senate, California State University Fiscal and Government Committee, San Francisco State University Senate Executive Committee, San Francisco State University Budget Committee, and Vice President of Finance and Administration, Provost, and Vice President of Development Search Committees.

Martin is an active speaker on topics including Social Innovation, Entrepreneurialism in the Academy, Interdisciplinary in Business and Higher Education, Environments, Tools and Behaviors in Collaborative Work, Digital FDM and 3-D Printing Rapid Prototyping Technologies, Teaching for Creativity, Performance Furniture for Health Care, and Industrial and Interface Design for Explosive Detection Security Systems.