Teaching Experience
Lecturer
Designing for Sustainability | The University of Texas at Austin, Spring 2025
I led this five-week course focused on sustainable design principles, material innovation, and circular economy strategies. Through hands-on projects, discussions, and case studies, students explored how design can contribute to ecological, social, and economic sustainability. The course encouraged students to think critically about the environmental impact of design and equipped them with practical tools for sustainable innovation.
Teaching Assistant
The University of Texas at Austin, 2023 – 2025 |
As a Teaching Assistant in the MFA in Design program, I have supported courses that cover a wide range of design disciplines:
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Interaction Design — Guided students in human-centered design, user experience (UX), and digital interface design through prototyping and testing.
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2D Design — Taught principles of visual composition, typography, and communication, with an emphasis on foundational graphic design skills.
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Design History — Facilitated discussions on historical design movements, cultural influences, and emerging trends in design practice.
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3D Design — Supported projects focused on material exploration, form-making, and spatial design, encouraging both physical and digital fabrication.
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Portfolio & Performance Review — Mentored students on portfolio development, professional presentation, and career strategy, helping them craft strong and cohesive personal narratives.
Workshops Led
Embodied Movement for Multispecies Empathy | ISEA2025, Seoul, Korea
An interactive workshop exploring how designers can cultivate multispecies empathy through embodied engagementand movement-based methods.
Exploring Deer’s Umwelt to Design for Coexistence | School of Architecture, UT Austin, 2025
Participants explored deer sensory perception and applied these insights to rethinking urban and architectural spacesfor human-wildlife coexistence.
Creating with Bioplastics | UT Austin, 2024
A hands-on workshop where participants experimented with biodegradable materials, learning bioplastic mixing and mold-making techniques.
Exploring Embodied Movement in Design | UT Austin, 2024
Introduced movement-based methods to expand designers’ understanding of body awareness, space, and sensory experience.
Designing Through a Dog’s Umwelt | UT Austin, 2024 | NYU Game Center, 2024
An immersive workshop where participants embodied aspects of canine sensory experience to design dog-friendly environments, toys, and interactions.
Designing Through a Pigeon’s World | UT Austin, 2024
Explored the city through a pigeon’s perspective, inspiring urban interventions and cohabitation strategies for multispecies design.
Teaching Philosophy
I am endlessly curious about the world. I believe there is always something new to discover—and nothing makes me happier than diving into unfamiliar territories, exploring ideas, and bringing them back to share with others. I find meaning in both learning and sharing: I love learning interactively with students, and I also value the role of the teacher as an explorer who gathers knowledge and returns to inspire and empower others.
This spirit of curiosity, openness, and joy drives my teaching. I approach learning as an adventure—sometimes structured, sometimes playful—always seeking to understand more and imagine new possibilities. I strive to create a classroom environment that is positive, collaborative, and alive with questions, where we can challenge assumptions, embrace uncertainty, and support one another’s creative growth.
I encourage a speculative mindset, where students question what exists and explore alternatives. Knowledge is not static; it must be analyzed, reinterpreted, and reshaped. By fostering lifelong curiosity, I help students make interdisciplinary connections and push beyond conventional boundaries.
While structure provides guidance, rigidity can hinder creativity. I encourage adaptive problem-solving, helping students navigate complexity with confidence. In group projects, I rotate roles to stretch comfort zones and foster cross-disciplinary collaboration.
I see design as a form of research and inquiry, requiring rigor, historical understanding, and experimentation. But education is not only about personal growth—it is also about recognizing our social and ecological impact. I challenge students to think critically about social responsibility, sustainability, and ethics in design.
I value a non-hierarchical, inclusive learning environment where ideas can be exchanged freely. I adapt my approach to meet diverse learning styles, and aim to build collaborative studio cultures that encourage both individual reflection and collective exploration. Feedback is key to growth. In critiques, I separate ideas from people—I aim to be tough on ideas but kind to students. I emphasize constructive, solution-oriented feedback, encouraging both self-evaluation and peer learning.
Above all, I value learning by doing—integrating interactive, physical, and experimental methods to keep students engaged. More than teaching skills, my goal is to equip students with the confidence, adaptability, and critical perspective needed to navigate their careers and contribute meaningfully to the world.