Part-Time Lecturer of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Education
- Master's Degree, Film & Television Production, University of Southern California
- Bachelor's Degree, International Relations, University of Washington
Biography
Daniel Druhora is a filmmaker, writer, and educator working at the intersection of immersive storytelling and humanitarian innovation. At USC Viterbi, he teaches Innovation in Engineering and Design for Global Crises, a hands-on course open to all majors that empowers students to solve real-world problems through interdisciplinary collaboration. He also advises student teams developing social impact startups and helps engineers and scientists integrate storytelling into research, product development, and innovation; building empathy, trust, and broader public understanding.
Daniel is the Resident Filmmaker at USC's ReWater Center, where he documents the future of water reuse and climate resilience. He is the creator of Flowing Forward, a documentary series exploring the future of water infrastructure across the U.S., and the director of Cloudwalkers, a feature documentary on the pioneers of the internet and artificial intelligence at USC's Information Sciences Institute, now streaming on Amazon Prime. His films have been broadcast on PBS, ARTE, and ARD, and his work has earned honors including an Emmy Award.
He is the co-founder of Safe Passage Films in the UK and the founder of AgRenova, a biotech startup focused on sustainable agriculture in Europe. Daniel also created Escape Velocity, a podcast uncovering the human stories behind science and engineering breakthroughs.
Research Summary
His work explores how documentary filmmaking, narrative design, and participatory media can be embedded within the processes of science, engineering, and social innovation to surface human insights that data alone cannot reveal. His current research interests include narrative intelligence in science communication, the use of film as a collaborative research methodology, and the ethics of storytelling in contexts of vulnerability and innovation. He is also developing new models for interdisciplinary education that integrate immersive media production, engineering innovation, and community-based problem-solving.
