Titles and contact information are displayed below. Click on a
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section. Click on a name to see full biography for that person.
Ph.D. Geography, University of California, BerkeleyS.M.Arch.S. Architecture and Urbanism, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyB.Arch. Architecture, Cornell University
Ph.D. Art History, University of Texas at Austin, 2001M.A. American Studies, University of Notre Dame, 1994B.A. American Studies, University of Texas at Austin, 1991
Field of interest: Biodesign, History and Theory of Architecture,
Design and Science
M.A. Interdisciplinary Arts and Education, San Francisco State University
Specialization: Digital media
Research
glenda drew’s research is based at the intersections of visual
culture and social change, with a particular emphasis on the
working class. Her subjects include country musicians,
waitresses, feminists and precarious workers. Her practice is
multifaceted in form and includes film/video, motion graphics,
photography, graphics, augmented reality, interactivity and
audience participation.
Ph.D. Art History, Boston UniversityM.A. Art History, University of Texas at AustinB.A. French Language and Literature, Vanderbilt University
Fields of interest: History of modern & contemporary art &
design. Marcel Duchamp, museums, narrative environments, and
experience design. Book design after Mallarmé.
M.A., Design, Art, Design and the Public Domain, Graduate School of Design, Harvard University, Cambridge, USAM.A., Business Administration, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, IndiaB.A., Tech., Electronics and Communication and Engineering, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India
Tanuja Mishra is a designer, artist and
researcher who works at the intersection of critical and
speculative design and social practice. She investigates
historical, cultural and aesthetic implications of technology to
imagine futures that are both aspirational and equitable. Her
current research focuses on questioning machine intelligence and
building AI on the values of care, trust and interconnection.
Ph.D. History of Art, Open UniversityM.A. History of Art, Design & Contextual Studies, Birmingham City UniversityB.A. History, King’s College, University of LondonFields of interest: history and theory of architecture, design and urbanism
Ph.D. Communication and Science Studies University of California- San Diego, La Jolla, CAMaster of Science in Architecture Studies (SMArchS) Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMaster of Architecture (MArch.) Washington University in St. LouisBachelor of Science. Engineering Core (TDEC), Interior Design Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA.
Akshita Sivakumar is a designer and
social scientist. Her work focuses on technoscience at the
confluence of environmental governance and social movements to
analyze the socio-spatial production of difference in
justice-oriented efforts involving the state, market, and civil
society. She combines ethnographic and critical-making methods to
analyze the politics of representation, knowledge production,
labor, and solidarities.
Ph.D. in architecture, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CAM.A. of Building Science in architecture, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CAB.A. of Engineering in architecture, Ajou University, South Korea
Jae Yong Suk is an Associate Professor in the Department of
Design and Associate Director of the California
Lighting Technology Center (CLTC) at UC Davis. Suk has a unique
background as a highly accomplished researcher, professor, and
internationally recognized lighting designer.
California Lighting Technology Center
University of California, Davis
633 Peña Drive
Davis, CA 95618
Ph.D. Computer Science, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, BrazilM.A. Computer Science, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, BrazilB.A. Computer Science, National Univeristy of San Marcos, Peru
M.F.A. Multi-media and Painting, Washington State UniversityM.S. Experimental Atomic Physics, Kansas State UniversityB.A. Fine Arts and Physics, Lawrence University
B.S. with Honors, Design, University of California, DavisM.A. Museum Studies, with an emphasis in education and interpretation, John F. Kennedy University, Berkeley, CA
B.F.A. Parsons School of Design M.Ed. Leslie University
William Mead has been teaching in the Design Department and UC
Davis since 2016. He earned his BFA at Parsons School of Design
in 1989. He completed a lifetime certification in secondary art
education at Massachusetts College of Art in 1992. In 1999 he
completed a Master’s degree in Education (MEd) At Leslie
University.
All Design Department staff are listed here, along with
administrative staff located in Cruess hall. Advisers are listed separately. For a
complete listing of The Arts Administrative Group staff, please
see our Staff Directory.
To set up an advising appointment for current students, please click here. If you are not a current student, please call 530-752-0890 to set up an appointment.
In Person: (Week 1) 9:00 am–2:30 pm M, T, F; 9:00 am–5:30 pm Th (Week 2) 9:00 am–5:30 pm M, T, FRemote: (Week 1) 9:00 am–5:30 pm W; 2:30 pm–5:30 pm M, T, F(Week 2) 9:00 am–5:30 pm W, Th
Ariel Collatz is an academic advisor and program manager for the Arts Group Advising Center. She holds a B.A. degree in History from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota and a M.S. in Counseling with a specialization in Career Development from Sacramento State University. She has worked as an undergraduate advisor at UC Davis for over 10 years. Her passion is helping students create a rewarding undergraduate experience.
In Person: 8:30 am–5:30 pm M, T, RRemote: 8:30 am–5:30 pm W, FAdvising: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm, 1:00–4:00 pm
Vincent Cheng is an Undergraduate Program
Advisor at the Arts Group Advising Center. He is passionate about
helping students succeed by empowering them with the resources,
knowledge, and skills they need to achieve their goals. He left
medical school to explore other fields where his strengths can
contribute the greatest impact in the lives of others. Prior to
advising, Vincent has coached gymnastics, run business
competitions, and built LGBTQIA educational resources. He
graduated from Harvard with a B.S. in Biology.
In his spare time, Vincent draws a comic strip he started as an
undergraduate for The Harvard Crimson. He enjoys watching anime,
playing video games, and spending time with his husband and their
two dogs.
Huryoung Vongsachang is an Undergraduate Program Coordinator and
Academic Advisor in the Arts Group Advising Center. His
experiences, centered around student advocacy and support,
first-year transitions, and cross-functional event coordination,
in conjunction with his STEM and healthcare background, bring a
unique new outlook to the advising center. Huryoung has held
previous positions at the University, from the Medical Center to
the Student Housing and Dining Services, and the Cross Cultural
Center. Huryoung is a first-generation college graduate and holds
a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of
California, Davis.
More About Huryoung:
His passions as a Coordinator and Advisor lie in facilitating a
fulfilling, holistic experience for undergraduates and improving
the quality of work and life. In his free time, Huryoung
thoroughly enjoys nature, food, sports, dancing, and playing the
violin.
Laura Xue Luo is an academic advisor for the Arts Group Advising
Center. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Animation
from Beijing Film Academy in Beijing, China and a Master of
Education from Brock University in St.Catharines, Canada. She has
worked as an instructor and academic advisor for over 10 years.
She is passionate about working with diverse student populations,
particularly with first generation and international students.
Her goal is to guide and assist students in achieving their
academic success and career goals.
M.A., Textiles, Merchandising, and Fashion Design with specialization in Material Culture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, United States, 2024 B.A., Design (Industrial and Graphic), University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, 2021
Rafael is a multidisciplinary designer and photographer
interested in the intersection of industrial design, crafts,
technology, and fashion design. With a decade of photography
experience, he has collaborated with major brands such as Heinz,
Monster Energy, and Budweiser, achieving features in prominent
media outlets. For his M.A. project, he created a collection of
artistic handbags, delving into symbolic narratives and
expressing his identity as a queer man (learn
more).
B.A. Human-Centered Design, University of California Berkeley, 2024
Zahra is a user experience designer who uses the power of good
design to create digital products that nurture and strengthen
human connection. She uses human-centered design methods to
understand how people and teams interact with technology and
creates ways to make those interactions better. She has worked on
UX projects in a range of areas such as sustainability, health
and wellbeing, digital media, and inclusive design. Zahra grew up
in Davis biking to elementary and high school, and after four
years in the Bay Area, she returned to Davis where she now bikes
to grad school.
B.A., Design, University of California, Davis, 2023
Jordan’s educational journey builds on over a decade of
professional experience working in the bicycle industry as a
certified mechanic, product developer, and
micromobility researcher. Also an
accomplished illustrator, woodworker, and maker, he extends
meticulous artistry and craft to his design process. Jordan’s
passion for cycling and outdoor adventure informs a strong
environmental consciousness that influences his work.
B.A., Black Studies, Amherst College, 2021A.A., Beaufort County Community College, 2015
Within interactive design, my interest is combining traditional
2D mediums with XR elements. My practice is jointly influenced by
Black Transnationalist thought and Afrofuturism. My goal is to
build resilient global communities across lingual, cultural, and
religious gaps. Where are our borders, and how do we dream up of
a world beyond them?
BFA, Graphic Design, California State University, Sacramento, 2022
With a background in traditional graphic design and web
development, Elieza brings a multidisciplinary approach to
anything she encounters. Her work is driven by deep personal
questions about the human condition and a commitment to improving
the mental, physical, and spiritual well-being for all. These
reflections have reshaped her understanding of both design and
life, leading her to explore how space can be thoughtfully
utilized to foster environments that harmonize between nature and
humans.
B.A., Design, University of California, Davis, 2022
Isadora Goldschneider is a textile and fashion designer from
Nevada City, California. With a background in music, dance and
fiber arts, Isadora uses an interdisciplinary approach to design,
exploring how these practices enrich the human experience and aid
transitions of grief and loss.
B.A., Product Design, Universidade do Estado de Minas Gerais, Escola de Design, Brazil, 2022
Nathalia is an Industrial Designer with over three years of
experience working in a prototype lab in Brazil. She has an
extensive portfolio in physical product design in several areas,
such as design for children, for the elderly and a project on
temporary reduced mobility, which was exhibited at the 9th
Encuentro BID – Enseñanza y Diseño – Madrid, November 2021. Her
research focus and interest is in sustainable design, the role of
design in environmentally friendly development and how design can
support different aspects of society, such as children’s learning
process.
B.F.A., Jewelry and Metal Arts, California College of the Arts, 2021
Dassie is a jewelry designer and metal artist specializing in
small-scale sculptures and jewelry. She also works in the fields
of furniture and fashion. In her work, she aspires to create
sustainable and environmentally friendly jewelry and furniture
pieces using discarded objects and vintage heirlooms.
Master of Architecture at Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Iran, 2014Bachelor of Architecture at Azad University of Roudehen Branch, Iran, Iran, 2010
Ladan is a multidisciplinary artist-designer focusing on
architecture and sculpture. Her work explores the relationship
between humans and spaces.
As an Architect, she has an understanding of the function of
spaces, as well as materials and an eye for the aesthetics of
forms and shapes.
She began her work as a sculptor in 2017, and she has since
exhibited her pieces in several exhibitions. She utilizes a
variety of materials, tools, and techniques in her work,
including bronze, ceramics, and other mixed media.
Bachelor of International Relations, The Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, 2014
Zarina is a UI/UX designer with a portfolio spanning various
industries, including banking, blockchain technologies,
telecommunications, horeca, pixel art gaming, SAAS, and more. Her
career has taken her to diverse companies worldwide, with a
footprint in Azerbaijan, Turkey, Thailand, Ukraine, the United
Arab Emirates, the Czech Republic, the UK, and the US, among
others.
B.F.A., Industrial Design, Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City, 2020
Diego is an award-winning designer known for blending tradition
with innovation across various design domains, including jewelry
and interior design. His current passion lies in promoting
sustainability and circular economy practices.
B.A (Hons.) Fashion Design: Pearl Academy, New Delhi, India (affiliation- Nottingham Trent University, UK)
Nidhi is a multi-disciplinary designer whose work is inspired by
societal challenges. She leverages the convergence of design and
technology to shed light on critical issues like women’s
safety, social inequality, and environmental concerns. Some
of her impactful projects include smart garments aimed at
empowering women against gender-based violence, inclusive
branding for a Citizen Social Science initiative, recycled
plastic products for underprivileged students, and bio-plastics
as alternatives to single-use plastics.
B.A., Information Systems, German, University of Washington, Honors Program 2022
Megan Plunkett is a designer with a background in
information systems, which informs their approach to user
experience. With expertise in data visualization, website design,
and illustration, they aim to transition into UX design. Their
interests include the impact of modern technology on human
behavior, branding persuasion, and accessible technology, all of
which shape their evolving design philosophy.
B.Arch, Autonomous University of Baja California, México. 2017
Magda is a multidisciplinary designer engaged in sustainable
architecture, graphic design, and community projects. She also is
a founding member of Cambio de Aires, a nonprofit focused on
driving social and environmental resilience in Ensenada, México.
As a graduate student, she wants to explore the intersection of
design, community participation, social impact, and
sustainability.
M.A., Industrial Design, University of Tehran, Fine Arts Faculty 2022B.A., Industrial Design, University of Art, Tehran 2018
Maral Salehian is an interdisciplinary designer with a background
in industrial design. In 2018, she graduated top of her class
from the University of Art, Tehran. Her design practice in
conceptual and formal inventiveness matured and converged in
furniture design. In 2019, she attended the University of Tehran,
where she studied M.A. in industrial design. During her study,
she gained a deep understanding of design principles,
methodology, and philosophy. She began working as a furniture
designer.
Emily is a multidisciplinary designer with a passion for
Narrative Experience Design. Using storytelling as a design
mechanism, she has experience working to design various
architectures, exhibits and themed spaces with specialized skills
in 3D modeling, prototyping, and graphic design. As a competitive
figure skater and Disney College Program alumni, Emily’s
interests in theater and themed experiences fuel her love for
design.
Artist’s Statement: After a conventional education reading
history at the University of California, Berkeley and Stanford
University, I switched course, educated myself as a book designer
and calligrapher, taking the last letterpress class offered at
Oakland’s Laney Trade School and studying with the calligrapher
Arne Wolf.
Dolph Gotelli, Professor Emeritus of Design, initiated the visual
presentation program when he began his teaching career in 1970.
He is also the Founder and Director emeritus of the Design
Museum, where he was the curator. During his tenure he designed
scores of innovative exhibitions for the Northern California
community including shopping bags, American souvenirs, Halloween
collectibles, international folk toys, masks, Santa Claus and
edible art. Under Gotelli’s direction, the museum has received an
international reputation for cutting edge installations featuring
theme exhibitions.
Professor and architect Patricia Harrison focuses her research on
the design of housing and other service facilities for low-income
families in non-urban communities. To accomplish her research she
collaborates with nonprofit housing and community groups to
develop affordable housing projects. In this process she works
with low-income families to design projects that address their
cultural and lifestyle needs, while incorporating issues of
energy efficiency and creative use of building materials within
very restrictive budget and site constraints.
Ph.D. in textiles and clothing, with a minor in sociology, at Texas Woman’s UniversityB.S. in textiles and clothing at the University of Texas at Austin
Gyöngy Laky, San Francisco sculptor, is a past recipient of a
National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, she was also one of
the first textile artists to be commissioned by the Federal
Art-in-Architecture Program. Laky’s work is in many permanent
collections including the San Francisco MOMA, The Smithsonian’s
Renwick Museum of American Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art,
the Oakland Museum, the Contemporary Museum in Honolulu and
others. She exhibits her work nationally and internationally.
Chair Designate and Department Chair – Dept. of Environmental
Design. Principal investigator, CAES – Agricultural Experiment
Station Projects. Adviser, master adviser, and adviser re:
Education Abroad (Scandinavia).
Victoria Z. Rivers is engaged in textiles research ranging from
the producing and exhibiting of dyed and embellished textile
artworks to researching and publishing subjects on South and
Southeast Asian textiles, to curating exhibitions.
M.F.A. Textiles, Wayne State UniversityA.B. Anthropology, Stanford University
Ann Savageau has exhibited widely, both nationally and
internationally. She has had 17 solo exhibitions and
78 group exhibitions. National exhibition venues include The
Detroit Institute of Arts; Long Beach Arts; the University of
Wisconsin, Madison; The Textile Workshop, Santa Fe, New Mexico;
and the Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi. International
exhibitions include “K-18 Stoffwechsel,” Kassel, Germany;
Editions Gallery, Perth, Australia; Third International
Exhibition of Miniature Textiles, London, England.
Ph.D. Architecture and Human Factors Engineering, University of MichiganM.F.A. Industrial Design University of Illinois, Champaign UrbanaM. Arch. University of Illinois, Champaign UrbanaB.S. Faculty of Engineering, Carleton University
Jo Ann Stabb is a designer, author and lecturer focusing on the
field of fashion and wearable art. She served on the Design
faculty of the University of California, Davis, for 34 years
(1968–2002) teaching clothing, fashion, historic costume,
ethnographic costume, and contemporary wearable design. Her
creative work has been exhibited throughout the United States and
internationally in Austria, France, England, South Korea, and
Australia.
Kathryn Sylva is an associate professor of Design She earned her
B.A. in Art Studio from UC Davis and an M.F.A. in Photography
from the San Francisco Art Institute.
Professor Sylva’s research includes two large visual
communication projects, one on eating disorders and the other on
the American eugenics movement. She also collaborates with
researchers in nutrition in using visual presentation strategies
to enhance the effectiveness of health and nutrition educational
and research materials.
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