MIT D-Lab

D-Lab, located at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is building a global network of innovators to design and disseminate technologies that meaningfully improve the lives of people living in poverty. The program’s mission is pursued through interdisciplinary courses, technology development, and community initiatives, all of which emphasize experiential learning, real-world projects, community-led development, and scalability. Founded in 2002 by Amy Smith, Senior Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering (and MacArthur Fellow), D-Lab has developed 21 MIT courses and a range of technologies and processes, including community water testing and treatment systems, human powered agricultural processing machines, medical and assistive devices for global health, and cleaner-burning cooking fuels made from agricultural waste. In addition to its academic program, D-Lab programs and initiatives include the D-Lab Scale-Ups Fellowship program, the MIT Practical Impact Alliance, the International Development Innovation Network, the annual MIT Scaling Development Ventures conference, and a research program including a Biomass Fuel and Cookstoves Group, an Off-Grid Energy Group, a Mobile Health Technology group, a Local Innovation group, and the Lean Research initiative.