I am always looking for new challenges and opportunities where I can apply my skills and experience, as well as continue to develop as a creative problem solver. I’ve been fortunate enough over the years to have worked in a few collaborative studio environments where human-centered design is at the core of everything. Where projects have concepts and theories and they are researched and tested and then refined to produce something innovative and special. Those are the environments that I thrive in.My background allows me to view design with a lens that not only includes creativity and expression, but also one that understands the complex organizations and relationships that science has relied on to examine things like ecosystems and evolution. One reason why I was drawn to both science and design is because of my insatiable desire to learn and inquisitive nature. This synthesis of science and design knowledge, allows me to open up to a wider range of possibilities, but still employ the same rigor of the scientific method when exploring problem-solving in design.My first professional exposure to design came at the Columbus office of NBBJ. Even though I had no experience or education in Architecture they allowed me to be a part of ideation sessions, design charettes and client meetings. Whether it was the post-it note exercise they learned from IDEO or the rapid prototyping of concept models, I was given the opportunity to take part in the front end of design and I loved it. In architecture school I was able to build on that foundation and refine my understanding of the design process and how design thinking was used to discover the initial spark of an idea and then work to nurture it and feed it until it was a reality.Getting to know the client and understanding their problems, as well as their hopes and dreams, is the essence of every design problem. This aspect of design is what drives me. It is what gets me out of bed every day and sometimes keeps me up at night. It is the one thing that I cannot turn off. My analytical side is always cranking to solve the problem at hand. Research is an integral part of my design process and informs my decisions every step of the way, from ideation to production. The process of researching, analyzing and creating a solution is integral to good design. For that is my ultimate goal: to improve people’s lives through good design.