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New DDes Program Caters to Student-Practitioners

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Designlife magazine cover 2025

Jun 10, 2025

Spring 2025 Designlife Magazine

The spring issue of Designlife magazine is here! Explore this issue for stories on the magazine’s new look and feel, the incredible work done by faculty, students and alumni and…
Lee Cherry in 3D fabrication lab

Jun 10, 2025

Scaling with Empathy: AI Solutions for Urban Planning

As cities and towns incorporate the use of artificial intelligence (AI) into urban planning, Lee Cherry is asking an important question: how can they best ensure AI is used fairly and ethically? The concept is at the heart of Cherry’s research as he pursues his Doctor of Design from NC State’s College of Design.
College of Design Spring 2025 graduates

May 9, 2025

Congratulations, Spring 2025 Graduates!

The College of Design is proud to celebrate the graduates of the spring 2025 class.
Justin Johnson takes notes as students present their work in a design class

Apr 30, 2025

From Pixels to Pedagogy: A Design Professor’s Path

When NC State’s College of Design graduates are called to the stage this weekend to receive their diplomas, one recipient might get a bit of extra applause from the students he has taught over the last several years. Justin Johnson, an assistant professor in the Media Arts, Design and Technology (MADTech) department at the College of…

Feb 17, 2025

College of Design Signs MOU with National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) 

The College of Design at NC State University has signed an MOU with the Faculty of Architecture of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma De México (UNAM) to promote academic and research activities between the two institutions and further affirm the value of international collaboration. Collaborations with UNAM will allow the college to extend its involvement in global issues related to urbanization and the environment and translate that knowledge into teaching and practice through the lens of a global framework. 
research poster presentation

Nov 25, 2024

Doctoral Students Showcase Work through Design Probes: Research Strands

On November 21, the College of Design’s doctoral programs brought together practitioners from the Doctor of Design and PhD in Design programs to showcase their outstanding research in a poster session and review titled “Design Probes: Research Strands.” Students bridge academia and practice across diverse design fields, and the event showcased the collaborative ecosystem that spans the college’s four departments and fosters a vibrant environment for interdisciplinary perspectives.
Samantha Krumbhaar's Paper Streets Projects utilizes tunnels made from natural materials to reference Hayti culture.

Aug 20, 2024

Bringing New Life to Paper Streets 

The City of Durham has over 600 “paper streets” – narrow strips of land planned for use as a street, but never built. College of Design students partnered with the city’s Office of Performance and Innovation to bring new life to these previously underutilized spaces, envisioning micro-parks, art installations, educational outdoor spaces, and valuable pedestrian corridors.
Newton D'Souza

Jul 30, 2024

Newton D’Souza to lead doctoral programs for the College of Design

Newton D’Souza, PhD will head up a new doctoral programs unit within the College of Design at North Carolina State University, effective August 12, 2024. D’Souza will oversee the two doctoral programs offered by the college, a traditional PhD in Design program and a hybrid Doctor of Design degree.
Systems are all around us. (Image created with AI)

Apr 8, 2024

Is ‘Systems Thinking’ the new buzzword in UX?

UX professionals can successfully add systems thinking into our work, yet we should be willing to do it justice. This means we’ve got to get comfortable with the uncomfortable.
Maren Parsell at the NC State Grad Symposium

Apr 5, 2024

Winners Named for 2024 Graduate Research Symposium

Nearly 200 NC State graduate students presented their research projects during the 17th annual Graduate Student Research Symposium, 27 top performers awarded.
M. Elen Deming receives Forster Ndubisi Professional Service Award at the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) from incoming president Dr. Jun-Hyun Kim. Photo credit: CELA/Dongying Li.

Apr 1, 2024

M. Elen Deming Honored for Exceptional Service to CELA and LAF

Educator and researcher M. Elen Deming was presented with the Forster Ndubisi Professional Service Award at the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) Dinner on March 22, 2024.

May 10, 2023

College of Design Faculty win NC State Awards in Teaching and Research

Six College of Design faculty were recognized with awards from the Alumni Association, Graduate School, Libraries and Office of the Provost this spring.
Juhann Waller

Apr 26, 2023

Doctor of Design Program Celebrates its First Graduate: Dr. Juhann Waller

Juhann Waller (DDes Cohort 1) is the first student-practitioner of the program to graduate, and will receive his degree in August 2023. Dr. Waller is the CEO of J.C. Waller Associates, PC, based in Greensboro, NC. His doctoral dissertation is entitled “Resilient Infrastructure: An Integrated Design Approach for the Equitable Distribution of Stormwater Capital Improvements Projects for Pluvial Flood Mitigation.” It models a type of applied design research that can be effected in real time, for real change.
LEED lab intro seminar

Jan 12, 2023

Preparing the next generation of green professionals with LEED Lab

North Carolina State University (NC State) is preparing the next generation of green building leaders through LEED Lab. This multidisciplinary immersion course uses project-based learning in the built environment to educate and prepare students to become green building leaders and sustainability-focused citizens.
Ben Coleman - Envisioning Research Contest Entry

Aug 26, 2022

Students Visualize Structures of Oppression; win NC State Envisioning Research Contest

Students in the College of Design recently took top prizes in the Graphics and Data Visualization and photography categories of the NC State Envisioning Research Contest. Three of the four entries from the college were part of the DIY Cartography: Oppressive Infrastructures class, which explored how we as a society are grappling with how to best serve diverse communities and create more equitable futures for all while visualizing the complex historic context around oppressive infrastructures in the US.
Karen Baker

Aug 17, 2022

Ethnographic Fiber Artist Karen Baker on Slow Fashion and Natural Products: How One DDes Student Explores the Lost Histories of Textiles

Karen Baker, current student in the Doctor of Design Program at NC State’s College of Design, is a weaver focused on design, history, and critical studies of textile and fiber in Washington, DC. She is currently researching the textile, fiber and craft contributions and techniques of enslaved and free African American weavers before the Great Migration.
Iyare Oronsaye Work

May 24, 2022

Student Profile: Iyare Oronsaye Seeks to Improve Diversity in Animation

Iyare Oronsaye is currently the director and assistant professor of the animation and illustration program at the University of Northwestern as well as a student practitioner in the College of Design’s Doctor of Design (DDes) program. As a DDes student, Oronsaye is researching how inclusivity can make positive impacts within the animation industry.
Designer's Critical Alphabet Cards

Jan 7, 2022

From A-to-Z: Lesley-Ann Noel and Decolonizing Design

Assistant Professor of Art + Design Dr. Lesley-Ann Noel aims to bring underrepresented voices into everyday design education through social innovation, inclusive community-led research and public health solutions. By creating tools such as the Designer’s Critical Alphabet and the “Who Am I” Positionality Wheel, she is making conversations around race and bias more common in classrooms and workplaces.
Justin Johnson Siggraph 2021

Sep 2, 2021

Exploring Nature as a Resource in Virtual Reality

GGRAPH 2021 Groovy Graphics Assignment, “Photogrammetry for a Virtual Reality Nature Scene.” As part of their on-demand talk, the two discussed capturing nature using photogrammetry and building a virtual reality nature scene.

Jul 29, 2021

Designlife Podcast: Jonathan Williams and Designerly Knotting

On this episode of the Designlife Podcast we’re joined by Jonathan Williams, a DDes Student and educator working in New York. Jonathan is currently researching how something as simple as tying a knot can transform how we approach design from an early age.
aj polanco feature image

Jul 12, 2021

DDes Student Designs Learning Assessments for Deaf Children

When user experience designer AJ Polanco decided to advance his career by earning a doctoral degree, his search for the perfect opportunity led him to become part of the first cohort of eight students to enroll in the College of Design’s brand-new Doctor of Design program in 2018.
Steven Chavez with NAMLA logo

Jul 9, 2021

Room to Lead

Steven Chavez is a student practitioner in the Doctor of Design program at the College of Design. He is the founder of NAMLA, the National Association of Minority Landscape Architects. Read his recent interview with Landscape Architecture Magazine.
AJ Polanco DDes student

Jan 21, 2021

Closing in on a Doctorate

AJ Polanco is the first person in his cohort to successfully complete the academic requirements of the Doctor of Design (DDes) program.
Justin-Johnson-Designlife-Podcast-Portrait

Aug 20, 2020

Designlife Podcast: Justin Johnson

Today we are discussing how gaming, especially in a virtual reality setting, can be applied to treating post traumatic stress disorder. We’re joined by NC State College of Design Assistant Professor and Doctor of Design student practitioner, Justin Johnson. As a combat veteran and lifelong gamer, Justin has been researching how the natural environment can be…
Elen Deming Designlife Podcast

Aug 14, 2020

Designlife Podcast: Elen Deming

The Doctor of Design (DDes) was established in 2016, making it one of the newest programs the college has to offer. It is also the only one of its kind in the country that offers a blended online learning model for design research.  The Doctor of Design has garnered attention and enrollment from students across…
Justin_Johnson Portrait-1500x844

Aug 12, 2020

DDes Student Researching How to Design VR That Heals

Justin Johnson is researching how VR can be used to treat PTSD and promote cognitive restoration.
DL-podcast-anne-spafford-16x9

Jul 21, 2020

Designlife Podcast: Anne Spafford

If you’re spending a lot more time at home and not in the office lately, there’s a chance you have become much more aware of how you value the outdoors. You might be spending more time on your local greenway, sprucing up the garden in your back yard, or just taking a few minutes away…
Joe Moore, manager of Zebulon, NC

Jul 13, 2020

DDes Student Puts Research into Practice as Town Manager

As a student practitioner in the DDes program, Moore gets to explore ways in which the town has the capacity and the capability to change as new residents and new economic decisions come into play.

Sep 12, 2019

Doctor of Design Students Explore Success After Failure

Doctor of Design Symposium Fall 2019 from NC State – College of Design on Vimeo. The Doctor of Design (DDes) program held its second annual […]
Juhann Waller DDes student practitioner

Apr 11, 2019

Design to Address Stormwater Infrastructure Issues

Juhann Waller is pursuing his Doctor of Design degree with NC State in hopes of mitigating stormwater infrastructure issues that derail communities.
Teresa Buckwalter NC State Design DDes student practitioner

Apr 11, 2019

DDes Student-Practitioner Expands Conversation about Climate Change

Teresa Buckwalter, an NC State Design Doctor of Design student practitioner, who is exploring solutions to “give landscape architects a way of talking and interacting with people and rural communities that value those places and those people and their insights.”
Mike Ortosky_800x450

Nov 9, 2018

Designing a Sustainable Food System

Mike Ortosky is pursuing his Doctor of Design degree at NC State Design with the intention of reimagining a sustainable food system to benefit the health of the environment, economy, and North Carolina communities and beyond.

Oct 29, 2018

Launching the Doctor of Design Program: A Collaborative Journey

NC State College of Design launched the only online Doctor of Design program in the country. This flexibility is intended to converge technology, innovation, and academic rigor to create an effective program with a focus design investigation. Learn about the making of this program.
AJ Polanco_800x450

Oct 8, 2018

New DDes Program Caters to Student-Practitioners

This semester, the NC State College of Design launched the nation’s first blended learning Doctor of Design (DDes) program, combining the flexibility of an online […]