Our Team

Some of us were captivated at an early age – whether due to living in a three-generation household, receiving treatment for a serious medical condition, or working with children who had disabilities. Others gravitated towards the practical nature of improving people’s lives through design. A few of us simply came for a job, and ultimately stayed to enact change. Whether personal experiences led us to the IDeA Center, or the IDeA Center exposed us to different design perspectives, our team of dedicated designers, engineers, occupational therapists, urban planners, and psychologists strives for results that empower, inspire, and create an inclusive community for all.

Core Staff

UB Collaborators

Shira Gabriel, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences

Lora Cavuoto, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering

Huei-Yen “Winnie” Chen, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Jeanne Langan, PT, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Science, School of Public Health and Health Professions

Chase Murray, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering

Victor Paquet, Sc.D., M.S., AEP
Chair and Professor, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering

Korydon Smith, Ed.D., M.Arch
Professor, Chair – Department of Architecture

Beth Tauke, M.A., M.F.A.
Associate Professor, Department of Architecture

Wenyao Xu , PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering

Junsong Yuan, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Collaborators

Clive D’Souza PhD, MS
Associate Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology, University of Pittsburgh
Director, Inclusive Mobility Research Lab

Tilak Dutta, PhD
Scientist, KITE (TRI)

Steve Landau, M.Arch.
President and Director of Research, Touch Graphics Inc.

Emily Nabors, MSG
Program Manager, The Pynoos Lab, School of Gerontology, University of Southern California Leonard Davis

Alison Novak, PhD
Scientist, KITE (TRI)

Aaron Steinfeld, PhD
Associate Research Professor, Carnegie Mellon University Robotics Institute

Sue Weidemann, Ph.D.
Researcher and Data Analyst, BOSTI Associates

Graduate Student Research Assistants

Ji Min Choi (Postdoctoral Researcher) Rahul Kaushikbhai Shah (Computer Science) Emmie ORourke (Studio Art)

Undergraduate Student Research Assistants ​

Tyler Dankin (Computer Science)

Rahul Kaushikbhai Shah (Computer Science)

Dheeraj Bhatia (Computer Science)

IDEA Center Alumni*

*Staff and Graduate Research Assistants

Hire DateLast NameFirst Name
2020NiepceronMadeleine
2020ParasurampuramAvinash
2020ShamiMira
2019DharShashank
2019DonahueMeghan
2019Gurkiran
2019JohnsonJoseph
2019PathakAbhinov
2019VangireddySreedhar Reddy
2019VemuriLakshmi
2019WangChihuangji
2018ChoudhuryPurbarag Pathak
2018KhanujaNeeta
2018KostSarah (Sawyer)
2018MohammadMudassir
2018MortorffTaylor
2018NguyenDon
2018PallaVijaya Harshavardhan
2017GuptaShivam
2016BurnsDylan
2016ChoiJi Min
2016McQuilkinJennifer
2016ZanjeAvishkar
2015BingiUday
2015BullaAnudeep
2015ChenKuan Ting
2015KernCassandra
2015NemadeMedha
2014JoshiAditya
2014PerezBrittany
2014PotluriPraveen Kumar
2014SkerkerElyse
2013HellabyMegan
2013KocherLydia
2013LaMunionEric
2013ZhuXinhui
2012Groele (Gripko)Monica
2012KimKaren
2012RanahanMolly
2011AndrianoGreg
2011CarrollMJ
2011JohnsonNatalie
2011KingKevin
2011LimSarah (Sawyer)
2011MastalinskiKyle
2011NolderAlysha
2011SwitzerMatthew
2010SchoellDavid
2010WJenna
2010WilczynskiEdward
2010AggarwalRahul
2010BucknerKathryn
2010BurgosMichael
2010DeshmukhPiyush
2010FenzlMark
2010HabermehlNicole
2010KirschnerMichael
2010NasarwanjiMahiyar
2010VarmaPurti
2009BareriaPiyush
2009DamleUma
2009GrimbleMichael
2009HassanzadehRoshanak
2009PriceJay
2008JohnsonDanielle
2008ChauAngela
2008HunterSusan
2008JosephCaroline
2008KwaAlex
2008LamirandWendy
2006KochStephanie
2006SepplesJohn
2006ZychMatthew
2004D’SouzaClive
2002FeathersDave
2000DolphEric
2000McCabeJoseph