Hello! Thanks for stopping by. My name is Jessica Meharry. I am currently an Associate Professor of Design Management and the Director of Academic Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Columbia College Chicago. In May of 2022, I received a PhD in Design from IIT Institute of Design. Under the direction of Carlos Teixeira and Laura Forlano, my dissertation topic was “Sensemaking for Power Asymmetries in Anti-Oppressive Design Practice”.
Research
My scholarly research focuses on three intersecting lines of inquiry that explore equitable design methodologies in both practice and pedagogy: anti-oppressive design practices for professional designers; envisioning anti-racist futures through design methods; and equity-oriented experiential education within design pedagogy and curricula.
Design
I believe it is through creative practice where my domain knowledge originates and then returns, cycling through application and research, feeding back into the classroom. When I practice, as a designer or consultant, I reflect-in-action (via the design process) on the specific design problem, but I also reflect on the process itself, which informs my design research as well my teaching.
Teaching
My scholarly research and creative practice has directly informed my pedagogy and curriculum design. I have taught at the undergraduate and graduate level across a range of disciplines including graphic design, design management, visual communication, design history, arts management, and innovation and entrepreneurship. To do this successfully, I study the creative and critical thinking processes of these domains as well as the developmental processes and learning styles of students.
As I reflect on my experiences, I realize that in true human-centered design fashion, I have ideated, iterated, and prototyped my scholarly and creative journey, exploring subjects that I was passionate about as I grew and developed as a person both personally and professionally. Over the past ten years, these paths of inquiry have converged as I developed a deep interest and expertise in justice-oriented design research, practice, and teaching. In this way, I engage with my work as a transdisciplinary scholar and creative practitioner.