D.Des Alumni & Candidates

D.Des Alumni

Student practitioners who have successfully defended their dissertations and have graduated from our program.

Juhann Waller
Advisor(s): Kofi Boone
Title of Dissertation: Resilient Infrastructure: An Integrated Design Approach for the Equitable Distribution of Stormwater Capital Improvements Projects for Pluvial Flood Mitigation (Summer 2023)

Jonathan Williams
Advisor(s): Derek Ham
Title of Dissertation: Learning Design Through Designerly Knotting (Spring 2024)

AJ Polanco
Advisor(s): Tsailu Liu and M. Elen Deming
Title of Dissertation: Exploring the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Inclusion Gap in Middle School Assessment Design, and a Multi-Disciplinary Framework Proposal to Address It (Summer 2024)

Justin Johnson
Advisor(s): M. Elen Deming
Title of Dissertation: Exploring the Role of Interactivity and Gameplay in Virtual Nature for Mental Well-Being Through the Design of a VR Game. (Spring 2025)

Kevin FitzGerald
Advisor(s): M. Elen Deming
Title of Dissertation: Examining the Effects of Framing and Collective Action Agreements on the Design of the Digital Library of the Middle East (Fall 2025)

D.Des Candidates

Student practitioners who have successfully completed their preliminary exams, and are now working on completing their dissertations.

Meghan Bausone
Advisor(s): Sharon Joines
Title: The Long Road: Understanding Paradigms Underlying Rural America’s Maternal Health System

Lee Cherry
Advisor(s): Todd Berreth, Derek Ham
Title: Changing Physiognomy of the Smart City: Examining Digital Marginalia of Connected Communities using Civic Technology and AI Ethical Frameworks

Carla Delcambre
Advisor(s): Kofi Boone
Title: Demystifying the use of Virtual Reality (VR) in Landscape Architecture Education to Advance the Impact of Student Learning in a Studio Environment

Melissa Eggleston
Advisor(s): Traci Rider
Title: Design Preferences of Sexual Assault Survivors: A Mixed Methods Study of Trauma-Informed Design Patterns On Mental Health Support Websites

Will Lidwell
Advisor(s): M. Elen Deming
Title: Super-Universal Communication: A Theoretical Framework for Communicating Across Beings and Worlds

Shruthi Manjula Balakrishna
Advisor(s): Tania Allen
Title: Evaluating the Impact of Menu Formats on Safety Perceptions, Trust, and Dining Experiences in Upscale Restaurants Post-Pandemic: A Strategic Experiential Modules Framework-Based Comparative Analysis

Chris Mismash
Advisor(s): M. Elen Deming
Title: The Social Media Governance Crisis: Why Centralized Governance is Failing and What Commons Governance Can Teach Us

Joe Moore
Advisor(s): M. Elen Deming
Title: From Tobacco Road to Main Street: Understanding how Mechanisms of Trust Influence Main Street America’s Effect on the Community Capital of North Carolina’s Rural Downtowns

Lexi Namer
Advisor(s): Sharon Joines
Title: Harm-Aware Digital Healthcare Design: A Quick-Reference Tool for Digital Product Designers

Mike Ortosky
Advisor(s): Kofi Boone
Title: Farmland Preservation in the Urban Fringe: Policy Implications in Orange County, North Carolina

Kaleena Sales
Advisor(s): M. Elen Deming
Title: Hair Braiding as Design Epistemology and Black Feminist Strategy: A Study in Situated Visual Inquiry

Anne Spafford
Advisor(s): Traci Rider
Title: Creating a Landscape Language for Health: The Intersection of Green Infrastructure & Human Resilience