Director
Associate Professor Dr. Shanna Daly is an Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering in the College of Engineering. She has a B.E. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Dayton and Ph.D. degrees in Engineering Education and Chemistry from Purdue University. Her research focuses on design innovations through divergent and convergent thinking as well as through deep needs and community assessments using design ethnography. Specifically, her work includes investigations of concept generation and development practices of novices through practitioners, intersections of diverse disciplines and experiences of individuals and teams that yield innovative thinking, the role of creativity in engineering and how to foster it, exploring problem spaces to identify real needs and innovation opportunities, and developing flexibility to design both radically and incrementally.
Shanna Daly
Lab Members
Jared Owens
Graduate Student Research Assistant
Jared Owens is a Ph.D. pre-candidate in Design Science holding a B.S. in Philosophy from North Carolina State University and a M.S. in Public Interest Technology from Arizona State University. Prior to joining the University of Michigan he worked two years as Communication and Engagement Coordinator for the ASU Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes in Washington, DC, applying participatory technology assessment methods for public engagement on emerging issues in science and technology. Working with professors Shanna Daly and Aditi Verma, his research interests center on the intersection of participatory design, systems engineering, and energy policy toward the implementation of societally equitable design processes for future U.S. nuclear energy facilities.
Jingfeng Wu
Graduate Student Research Assistant
Jingfeng Wu is a Ph.D. student in Engineering Education Research in the College of Engineering. She holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Calgary in Canada and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Chang’an University in China. Her current research focuses on engineering identity, engineering curricular practice, career thinking and development, and technical communication. Before coming to the United States, Jing worked as a Research Associate and then a Programs and Services Designer in Canada for about two years.
Undergraduate Researchers
Diana Karlsson
Nina Makhlouf
Alumni
Leah Paborsky
Laura Murphy
Graduate Student Research Assistant
Laura is a Ph.D. student in Design Science. She studies inclusive design, a people-focused perspective on design which accounts for the greatest amount of variation among people. She first explored the impact of inclusive and empathetic design processes through her work in disability design spaces. She also has experience in product design, manufacturing, and supply chain development across industries. She’s most interested in impacting how practitioners carry out design decisions so that the design outcomes help create a more inclusive world.
Nick Moses
Nick is a Ph.D. pre-candidate in Design Science and holds a dual M.S. in Mechanical Engineering and Anthropology from Oregon State University. His research interests include design in cross-cultural and international settings, the integration of interdisciplinary tools into design and engineering education. He also works with several organizations to design and manufacture improved institutional cookstoves in low- and middle-income countries.
