About

Esther (b. 1986 in Detroit, MI) is a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Design Studies at UW-Madison's School of Human Ecology (SoHE). Her primary affiliation is with the Design Studies Dept, and her secondary affiliation is with the Civil Society and Community Studies Department at SoHE. Esther is also a member of the Wisconsin RISE Initiative and the Global Human Ecology Network. In this capacity, she focuses on conducting research, advising graduate students, and teaching in the Design, Innovation, and Society (DIS) program.

Esther's research examines open, collaborative, and place-based innovation processes. Through an interdisciplinary and action-oriented approach, Esther focuses on the politics and possibilities of co-design practices in nested systems to inform the production of social, economic, and legal infrastructures. The three main objectives of this research are to: 1) develop historically-aware and contextually-sensitive design methods, 2) create analytical frameworks for practice-based work and teaching, and 3) make design research a critical dimension of cross-disciplinary research efforts.

Esther was a leading, independent Design Researcher for ten years, where she led projects that applied co-design practices to urban planning, policy-making, and digital service delivery processes. This scope of work encompassed cross-disciplinary, inter-disciplinary, and trans-disciplinary initiatives at the city, state, and federal levels. Selected collaborators include the [Executive] Office of Public Engagement under the Obama Administration, New Jersey (state) Office of Innovation under Governor Phil Murphy, Vera Institute of Justice, and Bloomberg Philanthropies' What Works Cities + Results for America. 

Esther builds upon this robust body of work in her scholarly achievements. Through an interdisciplinary approach that integrates the social sciences, humanities, and design research, Esther develops three types of tools through her work: 1) conceptual, 2) analytical, and 3) practice-based. Her recent work examined the role of standpoint analysis in multi-scalar, localized efforts by looking at the social practices of a grassroots organization in Los Angeles in parallel with participatory design practices of professionals in the social innovation sector. This work redrew the boundaries of what constitutes equitable and place-based co-design in diverse settings. Through her position at the Tech Solidarity Lab at Carnegie Mellon University, Esther led the participatory arm of a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded project that studied how AI-powered robotics impacted the day-to-day workload of essential workers at the height of COVID-19. Esther's current research project examines the development and implementation of a design and technology policy to understand its impact on local agricultural economies in the midwest. 

Esther's previous academic appointments include NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Pratt Institute, School of Visual Art, and Art Center College of Design.

Esther earned her Ph.D. in Design from Carnegie Mellon University, MA in social design from Maryland Institute College of Art, BFA with concentrations in photography and art theory from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and transferred to SAIC from Pasadena City College and Art Center College of Design's Night Program. 

Esther's accolades, publications, experiences, and leadership roles can be found in her CV, LinkedIn, and Google Scholar page.

*Note: The links on the page are intended to provide field-specific or industry-specific definitions. Organizations that I collaborated with are listed in the text above.