Season 1, Episode 2 — Dr. Merritt Moore

One of the ArtLab’s inaugural Artists-in-Residence, Dr. Merritt Moore bridges two seemingly distant worlds—physics and ballet—into a singular, visionary career.

A Harvard graduate in physics with a PhD in Atomic and Laser Physics from the University of Oxford, Merritt has been recognized on Forbes “30 Under 30” and featured in Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls alongside pioneers like Ada Lovelace and Oprah Winfrey.

During her ArtLab residency, Merritt led an experiment in human–robot collaboration—designing, choreographing, and programming a duet between dancer and machine. Working with a multidisciplinary team that included collaborators from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, she explored how art and technology can move—and move us—together.

In this episode, Merritt joins ArtLab Director Bree Edwards, Lori Lennon (founder and CEO of Thinkubator Media, an organization dedicated to elevating women in STEMM), and co-host Kristian Hardy, a Harvard College sophomore, for a conversation about curiosity, courage, and creation across disciplines.

Tune in as we explore Merritt’s experiences as a woman in STEMM, her aspirations toward space exploration, and the inspiring intersections of science and performance.

Link to Merritt’s residency page on the ArtLab website: https://artlab.harvard.edu/Merritt-Moore

Link to Merritt’s personal website: http://physicsonpointe.com/

Link to Merritt’s instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/physicsonpointe/

Link to Kristian Hardy’s biography: https://artlab.harvard.edu/people/kristian-hardy

Link to Thinkubator Media: https://thinkubatormedia.com

Works in Progress is recorded and produced in the Mead Production Lab, located on the traditional territory of the Massachusetts people, the original inhabitants of what is now known as Boston and Cambridge. The show is hosted by Bree Edwards and Kristian Hardy, engineered by Kat Nakaji, edited by Jemma Byrne, and produced by the ArtLab at Harvard University with help from Thinkubator Media. Theme music by Kicktracks and Gvidon.

For more information about the show, the ArtLab, and the artists featured, visit artlab.harvard.edu. You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram by searching ArtLab at Harvard.

Thanks for joining us for Works in Progress. We hope these conversations give you a glimpse into the creativity, collaboration, and experimentation happening at ArtLab. To learn more, visit artlab.harvard.edu.

The podcast is recorded in the Mead Production Lab at the ArtLab in Boston, Massachusetts.

Hosted by Bree Edwards
Audio by Luke Damroch
Production by Kat Nakaji
Research by Sadie Trichler & Ria Cuéllar-Koh

Design by James Blue & Sonia Ralston