As a part of The Center's research team, Melissa focuses her efforts on grant-funded research initiatives, as well as supporting ongoing work of The Center, such as the Affiliate+ program, the Knowledge Repository, and the Evidence Based Design Accreditation and Certification (EDAC) program. She examines the impact of the built environment on health through the development of conceptual models that link design and outcomes and by evaluating the effects of evidence-based design innovations and by disseminating research findings through tools, presentations, and publications.
Melissa was previously a senior design researcher for Davis Partnership Architects and prior to that she served as a researcher with the OMNI Institute and the Center for Children, Youth & Environments at the University of Colorado. With a background in both architecture and social science, Melissa describes her research style as “boots on the ground with a knack for rigor.”
Melissa graduated from Cornell University with a Masters of Science, Applied Research in Environmental Psychology and received her Bachelors of Environmental Design, Emphasis in Architecture from University of Colorado, Boulder.