Bio

RJ is an assistant professor in the College of Design. His work spans across urban design, Black geographies, design ethnography, and design justice. RJ’s first book, Get Yo Life: Black Queer Placemaking discusses the impact of urbanization on Black queer public cultures by exploring spatial deprivation, sensation, and economic deprivation under patterns of urbanization across Brooklyn, New York. He has taught courses on design for human behavior; design thinking; design criticism; and diversity and design at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He was a fellow at the Institute for Public Architecture (IPA) where he executed exhibits, design talks, and served on juries at Pratt Institute, The New School, and the AIA New York. RJ served as a board member with the National Organization for Minority Architects (AZ). He has organized design and urban planning panels focused on gentrification, accessibility, and economic deprivation across South Phoenix, Arizona, the U.S., and abroad.