Design thinking is my focus as a researcher and educator. While the scientific method is a way of discovering what is, design thinking is a method for envisioning what ought to be. I put design thinking into practice to envision better futures for people and communities. My scholarship discovers the history and theory of design thinking and the education of designers. As an educator, I teach future architects design thinking as a methodology for engaging with people around the globe and I teach design thinking to students from all disciplines as a methodology for innovation and entrepreneurship. I work with graduate students and seek funding for design research projects investigating questions facing organizations as they plan strategically for their futures. As an academic and professional leader, I use design thinking to engage colleagues in productive change, to advance undergraduate education at the University of Maryland, and to advance architectural education across the nation.

My current work weaves together threads of research, teaching, and service into to a whole cloth of integrated design thinking; the narrative of my work is like a tapestry. There are 6 main strands in the weave: (1) History and Theory of Design Education, (2) Design Thinking, (3) Design History and Criticism, (4) Design Practice, (5) Environment/Behavior Studies in Architecture and Urban Design, and (6) Design Thinking for Academic Leadership. My work is both individual and collaborative; I mentor junior faculty and graduate students to develop the next generation of design researchers.

My current research, in collaboration with Assistant Professor Ming Hu, combines an immersive virtual environment (VR) and electroencephalogram (EEG) as a promising tool to evaluate alternative options during the early design stage of a project. I am interested in characterizing and understanding human experience in the built environment using established neuroscience methodologies. I am the Co-founder of Brain, Architecture & Virtual Reality (BRAVR) Lab, together with Professor Ming Hu and Professor Edward Bernat. Our team was funded by an AIA Upjohn Research Initiative Grant in 2019 to develop, test, and validate a data-driven approach using virtual reality (VR) and electroencephalogram (EEG) technology for understanding the potential physiological influences of sustainable design features. We propose technology-enabled, repeatable measures for quantifying how Sustainable Building features affect occupancy emotion and cognitive functions – proxies for health and wellbeing. Since then, we have presented our research findings in multiple conferences, and recently published a paper in Scientific Reports (Nature).