After receiving her Bachelor’s in Design, Tieni worked in Los Angeles and the Bay Area designing trade show exhibits, along with residential interior and consumer products. She also worked in other roles such as editor-in-chief for monthly publications and as event coordinator for a high-tech association events, which hosts over 1,000 attendees held in the Silicon Valley. Her research focuses on generalizing design guidelines for shelf display lighting by targeting high color and energy efficiency. One of her most recent projects included the development of a lighting kit to assist college professors with their instructions.