Dr. Tilanka Chandrasekera is Professor of Interior Design in the Department of Design and Merchandising at Oklahoma State University, where he serves as Associate Department Head, Program Coordinator for the Interior Design Program, and Director of the Mixed Reality Lab. He holds the distinguished Christine Salmon Endowed Professorship and leads pioneering, interdisciplinary research at the nexus of design, emerging technologies, and human experience. Dr. Chandrasekera is internationally recognized for advancing the role of digital media in design research and education. His scholarship integrates Virtual and Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence, psychophysiological measurement, and computational methods to explore how design can foster creativity, cognition, and cultural sensitivity across contexts ranging from healthcare and education to workplace and community environments.

Dr. Rutali Joshi is the Research Lead for Health at HKS, driven by a passion for evidence-based, data-driven design and dedicated to translating research into impactful, actionable insights for the design industry. Holding a PhD and MS in Architecture and Health from Clemson University, along with a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Mumbai University, she brings a global perspective and depth of expertise to her work. Rutali specializes in creating design solutions that prioritize safety and elevate human experiences across healthcare environments.

Dr. Mohammadmehdi (Mehdi) Danesh is an Assistant Professor of Architecture at the University of Hartford, specializing in sustainable architecture, high-performance buildings, and environmental systems. He holds a Ph.D. in Architecture from Texas A&M University, where his research emphasized climate-responsive design and energy optimization. Dr. Danesh’s work focuses on integrating advanced simulation technologies—including daylighting analysis, energy modeling, and passive ventilation assessment—into both research and architectural design education. He actively employs various software tools to conduct performance-based simulations aimed at improving occupant health, cognitive function, and productivity. Dr. Danesh’s interdisciplinary approach bridges digital simulation, sustainability, and wellness, equipping students to lead in designing the energy-efficient, health-promoting environments of the future.

Vahid Vahdat is an Associate Professor of architecture and interior design at Washington State University. His primary field of research is spatial mediation, with an emphasis on virtual reality and film. Dr. Vahdat’s interest in the agency of architectural media extends to his studios, where he takes advantage of the freedom and abstraction that virtual reality offers to encourage utopian speculations of space. His three volume, “Virtual Interiorities” (Carnegie Mellon University ETC Press, 2022), addresses how virtual media frame, filter, and manipulate our perception of the built environment. He is also the editor of “Spatio-Cinematic Betwixt” (Intellect, 2023), “A Purple Architecture” (Carnegie Mellon University ETC Press, 2023), and “Animate(d) Architecture” (Liverpool University Press, 2024).