About this site

In 2025, at the end of my design consulting career, I decided to go back to school to gain my PhD. This is a journal of my experiences on that journey.

The focus of my studies is on the nature of design education. When people learn that the world has been designed, they realize they can change it; changing the artificial demands a unique skillset, a way of thinking and working that is called design. Design education teaches people to take control of the world around them, and this is an extremely empowering and centering demeanor. I want design education to be purposeful and thoughtful (and effective!), and my research investigates the way design is taught and learned in a studio environment.

Going back to school has been a wonderful experience. Doctoral work has provided me with a space for reading and writing, for thinking deeply, and for stretching and upending my perspectives and assumptions. On this site, I share some of these thoughts and experiences. If you are interested in following along, you might start with:

My statement of purpose from my application

The ways my space of inquiry has evolved and changed

The first paper I wrote that was accepted

The first paper I wrote that was rejected

My reading list for my comprehensive exam, and the exam document itself

If you are going back to school, or are interested in design studio education, please feel free to get in touch. I'm happy to share more of my notes and thoughts.