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Lorena Escandon

Dr. Lorena Escandon

Graduate Program Director, Master of Digital Media, Assistant Professor
EducationPhD in Engineering - Innovation Management, École de technologie supérieure; Master of Science in Entrepreneurship, Lunds Universitet; Bachelor of Information Technology, Universidad de Monterrey
Memberships/ServicesMember: Future Makers, DM@X Steering Committee, STP&A Committee, Creative Tech & AI Cluster, Creative Enterprise Cluster Committee member: CRI CLAC, MDI PhD Program Council, Course-Based Research Ethics Committee (CBREC) at The Creative School
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenaescandon/ (external link) 

Dr. Lorena Escandón is an Assistant Professor in the School of Creative Industries and Graduate Program Director for the Master of Digital Media. A global scholar, Dr. Escandón holds a B.S. in Information Technology from the Universidad de Monterrey (Mexico), an M.Sc. in Entrepreneurship from Lund University (Sweden), and a Ph.D. in Innovation Management from the École de technologie supérieure (Canada). 

Beyond the classroom, she works as a speaker and initiative leader. She co-founded Future Makers, an industry-academia-government initiative supporting digital media and creative technologies in Toronto through events, collaborations and a selective brain trust. She has launched tech startups, interactive summer schools, and international design challenges. Her newest project is a podcast called "Chingonas", co-hosted with award-winning creative director Jessica Cuevas Molina. 

Creativity, Innovation, Creative Industries, New technologies & Data, Trendwatching

Dr. Escandón’s work sits at the intersection of innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship, with a strong emphasis on applied methods for ideation, collaboration, and new product development. 

Her research explores how data exploration and digital tools can support early-stage design processes and creative problem-solving. She also leads and co-develops experiential learning programs such as design thinking workshops and innovation bootcamps at the undergraduate, graduate and professional levels, and has contributed to domestic and international initiatives that bridge academia and industry. She also conducts research on skills development in the creative industries, using job advertisements to identify emerging trends and evolving market needs.

  • 2025 - Errol Aspevig Award for Outstanding Academic Leadership (Toronto Metropolitan University)
  • 2021 - Dean's Service Award (Faculty of Communication and Design, Ryerson University)
  • 2010 - Teacher of Excellence Award (Universidad Regiomontana)