Dr. Upali Nanda is director of research for HKS, responsible for designing, spearheading and implementing research projects domestically and abroad for the firm. Prior to joining HKS, Dr. Nanda worked as a research consultant for The Center for Health Design on their research, education and advocacy efforts. Dr. Nanda was also responsible for establishing and leading the research unit at American Art Resources, the first of its kind in the country. Today, she serves as chair of the advisory council for REDCenter at American Art, co-chair of the EDRA-CORE (Environmental Design and Research Association- Certificate of Research Excellence) committee and a member of the EDAC Advisory Council. Additionally, she serves as member of the editorial boards for Healthcare Environments Research & Design Journal (HERD) and the Journal of Hospital Administration. She is expected to join HKS’s not-for-profit research group, CADRE (Center for Advanced Design Research & Evaluation), as Executive Director in fall 2013. Dr. Nanda’s research focuses on the impact of the designed environment on human and organizational health, with a focus on perception. Her work has resulted in more than 50 publications (including architectural and medical peer-reviewed journals), and numerous presentations, invited talks, and CEUs. Her doctoral work on a cross-modal approach to sensory design has been published as a book on “Sensthetics.” She earned her Ph.D. from the Department of Architecture at Texas A&M University, with a certificate in Health Systems and Design. Dr. Nanda’s architectural training is by way of a Master of Architecture degree from the National University of Singapore and Bachelor of Architecture degree from the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi. HKS, Inc. is a leading architectural design firm ranked among the top five architectural engineering firms, according to Building Design+Construction magazine. Since its founding in 1939, HKS has completed construction projects totaling more than $75 billion in more than 1,263 cities located in 80 countries. The firm operates from 28 offices worldwide.