Based on over 20 years of scholarship and research, Dee believes there are three aspects to the Future of Design:
1. Research, and evidence, as the basis for all design decisions.
2. Equity, access, and climate as interconnected complex problems that are primary aspects of every design situation.
3. All designers must operate as servant leaders within their communities of work.
Her interdisciplinary research group, Drexel Design Research for Health Lab (DDR4Health), works to create and sustain health opportunities for urban underserved families, and uses design thinking and design research to define, and solve complex issues in our current environment. Current work is focused on evidence-based Aging-in-Place and Dementia. Dee and her team have developed a standard for repair and assessment of various spaces for aging in place, the Mantua Creative standard for Aging in Place. Design thinking, assessment, and strategy in urban environments, services, and spaces focusing on health. This includes working with care providers to develop health-oriented solutions within shelters, urban hospitals, creative spaces, and substandard housing. Past evidence-based services and products developed around aging in place, autism, domestic violence, biophilia, and housing insecurity issues in the US. Partners include Penn Medicine, The Autism Institute, The Writers Room, Domestic Violence Centers of Chester County, The Alliance of Non-Profit Care Providers, Presbyterian Homes, Fabric Health, IMPACT Services, FAIMER, DUO, Agewell Collaboratory, and People’s Emergency Center. Drexel Schools and Colleges: College of Arts And Sciences, Dornsife School Of Public Health, School of Education, School of Engineering, College of Nursing and Health Professions, Graduate College
Dee’s work as a researcher, teacher, and colleague is primarily concerned with the supportive possibilities within our environments through habit and environment. She believes in the co-creation of both problem identification and solution through a deep understanding of the lived experience and expertise of those she collaborates with. As a socially responsive designer and researcher, Dee draws on her personal experiences as a person of Middle Eastern (MENA) descent, who spent part of her childhood overseas, to understand the experiences of those that have been marginalized. As a registered architect, fine artist, and certified interior designer; Dee researches, designs, and advocates for services and strategies to bring health and the security of living spaces to people in urban environments, through two interconnected areas:
Dee is also involved in Design-led strategy: Inter-professional creative collaborations with health and STEM researchers, includes Design thinking, mentorship of novice designers, prioritizing designing, ideating, and advocating for change.
In 2013 Dee established the Drexel Design Research for Health Lab (DDR4Health), an umbrella Lab that houses interdisciplinary research and scholarship. The DDR4HEALTH umbrella connects scholarship, teaching & service through topics such as aging in place, housing insecurity, Biophilia for underserved populations, and risk in hospital environments. Funded work includes Second Story Collective's Intergenerational Housing project which has led to intensive evidence based aging-in-place work with Rachel Wenrick, and Ayana Allen Handy. Garden Fresh Home (Patent Pending) with Professor Shivanthi Anandan; and Health and Design Research with Yvonne Michael, ScD, SM. Dee is also am currently working towards a Ph.D. in Change Leadership through Antioch University, on her process of Interdisciplinary and evidence-based Design-led Strategy.
Dee is the founding director of the Drexel MS Design Research program, and holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Carnegie Mellon University. She then received an MFA from the University of the Arts and is a registered architect, an NCIDQ certificate holder and LEED Green Associate. In summer 2023 she advanced to candidacy with her doctoral project: Design Thinking for Health Environments: Case study research on design and health innovation and complexity at Antioch University. For ten years, Dee ran a solo practice in Philadelphia executing residential interiors, experimental materials reuse, storefront revitalization, commercial and health space planning, and adaptive interior nonprofit reuse. Dee holds a certificate in Health and Design from Cornell University.
Dee has exhibited widely and taught architecture and interior design for 25 years at various schools including Temple University, Drexel University, and Philadelphia University. An invited critic at the University of Pennsylvania, University of Tennessee Knoxville, University of the Arts and Gallaudet University, she has presented research works at both national and international conferences and locally at the ExCITe center, The Philadelphia Innovation Center, and the Enterprise Center. Most recently, she presented digitally at the Design Society, and in Gold Coast, Australia as one of the top 10 digital presentations at SDEWES. Her work has been published and exhibited in a variety of national and internationals academic and professional journals including The Plan Journal, The Design Journal, ARCH IN-Form, Context, and conference proceedings for DRS, CUMULUS, EAD, EDRA, ARCC and ACSA. Dee is also a member of The Design Research Society.
Bachelor of Architecture with Design Honors Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh PA
Master of Fine Arts: Studio Arts Program University of the Arts, Philadelphia PA
Health Facilities Design Certificate Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
PhD, Antioch University: School of Leadership and Change
RESEARCH: SCHOLARLY PRODUCTS
BOOK CHAPTERS
1.
November 2022 Nicholas, D., Anandan, S. (2022). URBN STEAMlab and biophilic environments: Science, art and design. In L. Atzmon (Ed.) Design and science: Catalyzing collaborations. University of Michigan / Routledge. Invited book chapter on collaborative research practices.
2.
December 2023 (projected) Nicholas, D. (2023) Novel territories: Gender and the urban residential interior. In G, Marinic (Ed.), The interior urbanism reader. University of Kansas, Taylor and Francis.
PEER REVIEWED JOURNAL ARTICLES
2023 Hurwich, T., Nicholas, D., Fleming, F., Gondek, P.; Katzbuoninconto, J., King, D. Designing and Iterating for Interdisciplinary, Creative Research in Graduate Teams; (under review 2023) International Journal of Designs for Learning
2022 Perignat, E., Fleming, F. F., Nicholas, D., King, D., Katz-Buonincontro, J., & Gondek, P. (2022).
Effective Practices for High Performing Interdisciplinary Faculty Teams. College Teaching. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/87567555.2022.208652
2022 Nicholas, D., Michael, Y., & Anandan, S. (2020). Covid-19 Home Sign-Posts. Enquiry The ARCC Journal for Architectural Research, 17(2), 41–62. https://doi.org/10.17831/enq:arcc. v16i2.1073
International Outlet
2019 Nicholas, D., (2018). Material Home: Novel interventions in the urban abode. Adaptive Intervention| International Journal of Interior Architecture + Spatial Design, 118-121. http://www.iijournal.org/volumes/
International Outlet
2019 Stein, S., Nicholas, D., Michael, Y., Nguyen, T., and Giordano, K. (2019). Integrating practical and epistemic actors: Co-constructing a knowledge organization system to address housing insecurity in West Philadelphia. Journal of advances in classification research online, 29(1), 30–34. https://doi.org/10.7152/acro.v29i1.15465
International Outlet
2018 Michael, Y., Nicholas, D. (2018). Designing with dignity: Health and design research for underserved communities. The Plan Journal: Designing for impact, Spring 2018, 303-317.
doi 10.15274/tpj.2016.01.02.06
http://www.theplanjournal.com/article/designing-dignity-health-and-design-research-under- served-communities International Outlet
2017 Nicholas, D., Townsend, K., & Michael, Y. (2017). Designing with dignity: Social determinants of health and design research. The Design Journal, 20(sup1), S2238–S2246. https://doi.org/10.1080/14606925.2017.1352740
International Outlet
2015 Knittel, C., Nicholas, D., Street, R., Schauer, C., Dion, G., (2015). Self-folding textiles through manipulation of knit stitch architecture. Fibers 3, no. 4, 575–87.
doi:10.3390/fib3040575 https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/d88a/ b481bce239dc7c1f8ce31c4e15fdb955f925.pdf
International Outlet
EVIDENCE BASED DESIGN FOR AGING, AGING IN PLACE, AND THOSE WITH AGE-BASED COGNITIVE ISSUES SUCH AS ALZHEIMER'S AND DEMENTIA
SELECTED CURRENT RESEARCH FUNDING
AWARDED FALL 2022:
$15,000, AIA UpJohn Research Grant, Role Primary Investigator; Co-Primary Investigators Rachel Wenrick and Ayana Allen Handy; Age Friendly University and Community Creative Spaces
$600,000, Americorp Federal Funding; Role: Key Personnel, PI: Ayana Allen-Handy, PhD, Co-PI: Rachel Wenrick Founding Director Writer’s Room; Drexel University Arts-centered Community Action: How Public Arts Programming Strengthens Civic Infrastructure and Promotes Civic Innovation
AWARDED 2022/21:
$100,000 Foundation Grant, Role: Co-Investigator; William Penn Foundation Faculty: Jenna Hirsch PI; Yvonne Michael Co-I, D.S. Nicholas Co-I, Debra Ruben Co-I, Nancy Epstein Co-I This team is studying the implementation of play-spaces in terms of several established measure of spatial success and is making recommendations for future funding of spaces.
$10,000 Agewell Pilot Grant College Of Nursing And Health Professions: D.S. Nicholas Pi; Rachel Wenrick Co-Pi; Aging In Place Study Of Creative Spaces At Ross Commons
$10,000 Pennsylvania Council on The Arts Programming Rachel Wenrick PI;
D.S. Nicholas Co-PI
$7,500 Internal Funding; Role: PI with Faculty from across the University Rankin Scholars in Residence: Liz Sanders author of “The Convivial Toolbox” will give a community-based participatory workshop to students across the University on her generative research process called Maketools
AWARDED 2021:
$7,300.00 Honors College: Spring/Summer Part Time Coop Student Awarded: Received Coop Student to assist with Research (In-Kind Funding)
$4,500.00 Honors College: Spring/Summer Additional compensation as part of the Honors College Symposium on Disaster
$3,000 Writers Room Fellowship awarded through $200,000.00 External Fund Grant to Writer’s Room, Barra Foundation for Second Story Collective: Creative Intergenerational Co-housing: Aging in Place Mantua and Powelton.
AWARDED 2020
$162,000 Federal Funding; Role: Key Personnel
External Foundation Funding; Role: Key Personnel Additional third year of funding Allen-Handy, A., Wenrick, R., Kashock, K., Nicholas, D. (2018). Anti-displacement: The untapped potential of university-community cooperative living. Corporation of National and Community Service. Previous Funded Amount: $284,983
AWARDED 2019
$100,000 Internal Funding; Role: Co-Principal Investigator with 50/50 effort split
Drexel Ventures Fund with Shivanthi Anandan Garden Fresh Home: Venture Funding for Market Development Garden Fresh Home In-home Hydroponic Unit.
$499,174 Federal Funding; Role: Co-Primary Investigator (Co-PI)
National Science Foundation; “IGE: Creative Interdisciplinary Research in Graduate Education (CIRGE)” PI- Fraser Fleming, Department Head Chemistry; Co-PI D.S. Nicholas, AIA; Co-PI Paul Gondek, Ph.D.; Co-PI Jen Katz-Buonincontro, Ph.D.; Co-PI Dan King, Ph.D. NSF 17-585 Innovations in Graduate Education Program.
$4,473.00 Research Award: Drexel Faculty Creativity Award; Awarded to D.S. Nicholas for Garden Fresh Homes Bio-substrates funding award for Exhibit Installation in September 2019 and February 2020
AWARDED 2018
$284,983 Federal Funding; Role: Key Personnel
Allen-Handy, A., Wenrick, R., Kashock, K., Nicholas, D. (2018). Anti-displacement: The untapped potential of university-community cooperative living. Corporation of National and Community Service. This community-led participatory research study brings together an intergenerational and interdisciplinary research team to gather information on affordable housing in the Promise Zone.
AWARDED 2017
$106,000.00 Foundation Funding; Role: Co-Principal Investigator with 50/50 effort split Scattergood Foundation with Yvonne Michael
Health, and Design Research for Innovation Grantor
Current work is focused on evidence-based Aging-in-Place and Dementia. I have developed a standard for repair and assessment of various spaces for aging in place, the Mantua Creative standard for Aging in Place. Design thinking, assessment, and strategy in urban environments, services, and spaces focusing on health for urban families. This includes working with care providers to develop health-oriented solutions within shelters, urban hospitals, creative spaces, and substandard housing. Past evidence-based services and products developed around aging in place, autism, domestic violence, biophilia, and housing insecurity issues in the US.
Partners include Penn Medicine, The Autism Institute, The Writers Room, Domestic Violence Centers of Chester County, The Alliance of Non-Profit Care Providers, Presbyterian Homes, Fabric Health, IMPACT Services, FAIMER, DUO, Agewell Collaboratory, and People’s Emergency Center. Drexel Schools and Colleges: College of Arts And Sciences, Dornsife School Of Public Health, School of Education, School of Engineering, College of Nursing and Health Professions, Graduate College