Matter(ing) by Design:
Delegating Decisions / Activating Agency
Students
Estefania Acosta is an industrial designer from Mexico with a background in product and aeronautics design.
Hayley Arsenault
Laura Belik is an architect from São Paulo, Brazil. For the past few years, she has worked mainly in museums, exhibitions and also as a researcher focusing in modern and post-modern urbanism.
Oliver Bolton has a background in Industrial Design, as well as sound design and psychology. He completed his undergraduate thesis on recording studios, but has more recently become interested in the nature of eclecticism.
Soohee Cho has a BA in art history from University of Hawaii at Manoa, and a professional background in special event design in New York City. She is currently researching the new generation of luxury hotels and "mega-clubs" in Las Vegas.
Gene Duval’s academic background is in graphic design, typography and design theory. Her professional background is in logistics and project management in the music realm.
Finn Ferris
Sandra Waihuini is a UI/UX Designer from Kenya. Her background is in print and interactive design. For the past two years, she has worked mainly in product development studios and creative agencies.
Quizraya Gonzales has a background is in graphic design and museum education.
Ivana GarcÃa is from Argentina and has a background in Business. She has worked in non -profit organizations, and a design entrepreneurship. She is interested in design for social innovation and sustainability.
Anke Gruendel’s background in Biology, Fashion Design, and Liberal Arts informs her critical investigation of design’s relevance in political rhetoric and new governmental apparatuses. She teaches BFA Senior Thesis at Parsons School of Fashion where she focuses on sustainable fashion
practice.
Sonja Holopainen graduated from University of California, Santa Cruz with a degree in both Philosophy and Art. She is interested in looking at the visual world through the lens of philosophy. Her current interests examine at how social media and self-curation play a part within design.
James Laslavic is an interaction designer who received a BFA in Communication Design with a minor in Ethics from CMU. He is working on his thesis about conditions of design for outer space and future technologies, which involves an internship with NASA in California.
Jhen-Yi (Maggie) Lin worked in brand management and public relations for 5 years in Taipei and Shanghai. She has a B.A. in Political Science and has done an internship at the NYC Mayor's Office of Operations & NPOs. Her research looks at the intersection of design, public policy, and public organization.
Ruo (Mya) Ma
Katherine Moyer's bio is under construction until she finishes her thesis on 'Designing the Self.'
Natalie Nielsen has a background in anthropology and art history. Her current research is on memorial design where she outlines a design program and ethic for a speculative memorial based on the Vietnamese diaspora after 1975.
Juan Pablo Pemberty-Jiménez is a Designer from Medellin-Colombia, he combines his writing about spatial agency with his skills as a theory visualizer. His thesis discuses design's role in the so called "social urbanism" of his native city Medellin.
William Perkins
Laura Sanchez studied History and World Arts & Cultural Studies at UCLA as an undergraduate and most recently led research and strategy for a digital agency in DC.
Komal Sharma is a journalist from New Delhi, India. Her current research is about craft as a set of values and features, and its relevance to design studies and practices.
Rachel Smith’s approach to design is influenced by an academic upbringing grounded in anthropology and writing. She has worked in content development and project management at New York City-based design ventures. She currently works in content coordination and development at a museum design and planning firm.
Lisa-Mari Stenhaug is a graphic designer who has worked in advertising and digital media. Her academic background is in Visual Communication, Art and Design.
Micki Unterberg has a BA in Inclusive Industrial Design and has worked for a design studio based in Israel on retail and commercial trade show exhibitions.
Veronica Uribe del Aguila is a philosopher with a background in teaching and academic research in the areas of ethics, politics and design and the intersection among these three subjects.
Misha Volf makes recordings and furniture. Sometimes he makes stories.
Shenyangzi Wang
Laura Wing has an academic background in literature, cultural anthropology, and sculpture/installation. Her professional experience is in new media editorial departments and non-profit arts administration.
Mae Wiskin comes to Design Studies from an international development background where she worked largely in the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa. She is interested in studying critical design for social innovation based on her belief that it provides the strongest foundation upon which to truly combat global problems.