Upali Nanda

Dr. Upali Nanda is a Principal and Director of Research at HKS, a global architecture firm where she spearheads research projects globally. Based in Detroit, Upali has extensive experience leading research projects in design practice with a focus on the impact of design on human health and perception. She also serves as the Executive Director of Center for Advanced Design Research and Evaluation, or CADRE, the research arm of HKS, and teaches as an Associate Professor of Practice at the Taubman School of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Michigan. She serves on the board of directors for HKS and the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture. Her doctoral work on “Sensthetics” has been published as a book available on Amazon.com. Her award-winning research has been widely published and cited in peer-reviewed journals and mainstream media. In 2015, Dr. Nanda was recognized as one of the top 10 most influential people in Healthcare Design by the Healthcare Design Magazine. In 2018, she was honored by Architectural Record with the Women in Architecture Innovator Award. In 2019, she was recognized as one of nine people shaping American design by Specify Magazine from Metropolis.