For our latest episode, we (Lindsay Baker and Kira Gould) talked with Upali Nanda, PhD. Dr. Nanda is Partner and Executive Vice President at HKS, Inc. As Global Sector Director, Innovation, she oversees HKS's Research, Advisory, Sustainable Design, and Cities & Communities services. Based in Ann Arbor, Upali has extensive experience leading research projects in design practice with a focus on the impact of design on human health and perception.
Upali believes that the big problems will be solved by getting many disciplines together in conversation. One example, the FDA Home as a Health Hub Idea Lab, brought together housing designers, developers, technology developers, investors, healthcare providers, and others.
All such work is rooted in Upali's deep commitment to the integration of research into practice. That commitment has prompted to her to ask deep questions about people and place. "How can we design for humans without knowing how humans are designed?" she asks. "That question got me interested in how humans perceive and behave, and then over time, that evolved into this interest in human health itself."
Listen at https://www.designthefuturepodcast.com/episodes/upali-nanda or on your favorite podcast platform. (Please consider leaving a review on Apple or Spotify; it really helps people find us!)
Related links
Building Brains Coalition launch: https://www.archpaper.com/2025/02/building-brains-coalition/
FDA Home as a Heath Care Hub: https://www.hksinc.com/what-we-do/projects/fda-home-as-a-health-care-hub-idea-lab/
#WomenInGreen
#DesignTheFuture
#WomenInSustainability
#BrainHealth
#ResearchInPractice
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Kira Gould Hon. AIA
Kira Gould CONNECT
Mission Hills KS
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