Sabrina Tian
About
Sabrina is a Chinese-American designer and researcher interested in designing for sustainable cities, circular economy, and community engagement. Her work is centered around culture, whether it be in collaboration with microorganisms (biological), the social behavior and norms found in human societies (anthropological), or the interactions that exist within our ecosystem (environmental). She aims to challenge current notions of ourselves, each other, and our environment.
Her thesis project, Ubiroot, transforms the semiconductor industry by addressing the faulty chip market and advocating for a shift towards a circular supply chain. Ubiroot embeds nano-sized tags into each chip, enabling seamless traceability and real-time monitoring. In today’s rapidly growing digital world, the semiconductor industry is under immense pressure, facing unexpected disruptions and relying heavily on unsustainable mining of critical rare minerals for production. Ubiroot offers a holistic view of each chip’s lifecycle—from raw material to end-of-life—by not only identifying the source of faulty chips but also equipping manufacturers with insights to extend the life of electronics and reduce dependency on raw materials. As silicon chips continue to shrink, Ubiroot ventures into the microscopic realm, championing resilience and sustainability across the global semiconductor industry.
Sabrina holds a BA Design & BA Cognitive Science from University of Pennsylvania, and MA/MSc Global Innovation Design (GID) from Imperial College and Royal College of Art. Throughout GID, she completed international residencies at Keio University (Media Design) in Tokyo and Pratt Institute (Industrial Design) in Brooklyn, and has partnered with companies such as Snap Inc, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, and Panasonic. Her work has been featured internationally, including at the COP28 Prototypes for Humanity showcase in Dubai and Biodesign Challenge in New York City.
Sabrina’s work has been kindly funded by The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 and Japan Student Services Organization.
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