Ailsa Petrie is SVA-MFA DSI’s newest staff member, joining the team in Fall 2025 as the Director of Operations and the department’s Academic Advisor.

In May of 2025, Ailsa graduated from SVA with a Master’s in Design Research, Writing, and Criticism (D-Crit). Between 2020 and 2023, Ailsa was a consultant at People Rocket, a business management firm. There, she specialized in instructional design, learning production,  and cultural ambassadorship. In late 2019, Ailsa became an IDEO CoLab Fellow. During lockdown, she designed and facilitated virtual design sprints with a remote team. Ailsa’s e-learning expertise led to Teaching Fellowships at Harvard University’s Extension School and Stanford’s D-School. She holds a dual Bachelor’s in Service Design and Industrial Design from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).

Ailsa lives in Ridgewood, Queens, with her partner and their orange-ragdoll cat, Loui. She writes about design, with a special interest in ASMR, Polly Pockets, and experiential design. Ailsa spends her weekends leatherworking and attending concerts in Brooklyn.