People

ANFA Board

David Kirsh

President, 2021 – Present
Cognitive Science, University of California San Diego. Director of the Interactive Cognition Lab.
La Jolla, CA, United States

Meredith Banasiak

Director of Research, Boulder Associates Architects. Host of the Science + Design video podcast. YouTube @Science_and_Design . Bio at www.meredithbanasiak.com
Westminster, CO, United States

Kurt Hunker

President-Elect
Chief Design Officer, Davy Architecture, San Diego, California, USA; Professor Emeritus, NewSchool of Architecture + Design, San Diego; Fellow of the American Institute of Architects; author and presenter on topics ranging from the architecture of Alvar Aalto to public school design.
San Diego, CA, United States

Sergei Gepshtein

Portfolios
Scientist and Principal Investigator, Salk Institute for Biological Studies; Director, Center for Spatial Perception & Concrete Experience, University of Southern California
La Jolla and Los Angeles, CA, United States

Laura Wolszon

Chief Financial Officer
Laura was an Associate Scientist at Columbia University, specializing in brain neurophysiology. At UCSD, she was a Senior Licensing Officer and Manager of Strategic Partnerships, initiating its first scientist/architect collaboration on wayfinding. She taught Neuroscience for Architecture at NSAD.
La Jolla, CA, United States

Frederick Marks

Immediate Past President, 2019 – 2020
Fred, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Six Sigma Green Belt, is currently a Visiting Scholar and Research Collaborator at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, CA. He has been a licensed architect for 30+ years and has a planning & design specialty in healthcare and laboratory science facilities.
La Jolla, CA, United States

Thomas D. Albright

Past President, 2013 – 2014
Professor and Director Vision Center Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies
La Jolla, CA, United States

Eve Edelstein

Designer, Researcher, Faculty & Public Speaker.
Clinicians for Design, Innovative Design Science, Pratt & Univ Venice. Translate clinical, neuroscientific, and anthropological knowledge into all design settings.
Palo Alto, CA, USA, United States

Sarah Goldhagen

After having published Welcome to Your World: How the Built Environment Shapes Our Lives, I continue to consult with clients and write about architecture, cities, and design from a human-centered perspective, advocating for design practices grounded in neuroaesthetics and environmental psychology.
New York, United States

Claire Gallagher

Professor Emerita School of Education, Georgian Court University
Spring Lake, NJ, United States

Alison Whitelaw

Founding member, Past President, 2011 – 2012
Retired Principal, Platt/Whitelaw Architects, Inc.
San Diego, CA , United States

Eduardo Macagno

Past President, 2009 – 2010
Professor and Founding Dean Division of Biological Sciences University of California, San Diego
La Jolla, CA, United States

Upali Nanda

One of the 6 pioneers of Eberhard's original cohort as a grad student, Dr. Nanda now serves on the Board of Directors
Global Director of Research for HKS; Associate Prof of Practice at Taubman College and member of ANFA board, Dr. Nanda is an award winning researcher working at the intersection of human perception and design, dedicated to bridging practice and academia, art and science, brain and building.
Ann Arbor, United States

Kris Mun

Principal of studioMUN, architecture, landscape & design || Founder of SensoryArchitecture(s)
Venice, CA , United States

Satchidananda Panda

Principal Investigator, Panda Lab, Regulatory Biology Laboratory Salk Institute
La Jolla, CA , United States

Ramesh Rao

Director, Division of California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2) Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Jcaobs School of Engineering University of California, San Diego
La Jolla, CA, United States

Margaret Tarampi

Margaret Tarampi, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Psychology & Director of University Interdisciplinary Studies at University of Hartford. Her SCaPE Laboratory investigates the cognitive mechanisms that underlie space perception & spatial cognition in select populations.
West Hartford, United States

melissa farling

Principal, Multistudio
Phoenix, United States

Matthew Smith

Architect, University of California San Diego Capital Program Management
La Jolla, CA, United States

Alan Penn

Professor in Architecture and Urban Computing The Bartlett School of Architecture University College London
London, United Kingdom