About me

Hi, I’m Karina!

I define design as: “the ability to make deliberate decisions to change or create anything,” which reflects my broad interpretation of the field.

I am especially passionate about participatory design: building products, tools, and experiences that let people learn design by doing.

I have led community-engaged projects, studio courses, and workshops on physical AI. I have an innate desire to help others, which is why I design directly alongside the people I serve.

Current Role

University of Minnesota, PhD Researcher and TA | September 2026 – May 2029 (Expected)
Focus: Leading participatory design to build interactive physical AI product companions
Researcher at the CoLab, advised by Dr. Carlye Lauff
DOVE University Fellowship and College of Design Fellowship Recipient

Experience

Kids in Tech, STEM Program Developer and Instructor | September 2025 – August 2026
Delivered 8 weeks of standardized lessons and instructional videos for new employee onboarding.
Taught STEM, design, and robotics to elementary school students each week.

K&M Accessories, Jewelry Designer | September 2024 – May 2025
Researched trends, designed, and developed jewelry designs for Guess Factory.

Procter & Gamble (P&G), Industrial Design Co-op | May 2023 – August 2023
Advanced four Charmin and Bounty product initiatives via research, testing, and prototyping.

Georgia Tech Interactive Computing, Graduate Research Assistantship | August 2023 – May 2024
Projects: Pediatric Mobility Assistive Technology, Energy-harvesting Prosthetics

ZIBRIO, User Experience Design Internship | May 2022 – August 2022
Improved the ZIBRIO Balance Coach app via interface design and testing.

GRIND Basketball, Industrial Design Internship | January 2022 – May 2022
Optimized product features and implemented changes with manufacturers.

Moku, Industrial Design Internship | May 2020 – August 2020
CAD modeled a retail kiosk, designed jewelry, and researched sustainable materials.

Iowa State University Virtual Reality Applications Center, Internship | May 2019 – August 2019
Conducted a virtual reality experiment and co-authored a research paper and poster.

Teaching

Rhode Island School of Design, Pre-College Instructor | June 2026 – July 2026
Taught the Industrial Design major course to 17 rising junior and senior high school students.

Johnson & Wales University, Systems Design Instructor | January 2026 – April 2026
Taught a course on systems design methodologies with a food systems project.

Wentworth Institute of Technology, Industrial Design Instructor | January 2025 – December 2025
Courses taught: Freshman Studio, Sophomore Studio, and Drawing
Faculty for SummerFAB, a pre-college program for high school students to learn architecture and design while building a functional greenhouse for a local community garden.

Education

PhD in Product Design | August 2026 – May 2029 (Expected)
University of Minnesota, College of Design

Master of Industrial Design (MID) | August 2022 – May 2024
Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Industrial Design
Master’s Thesis: Leveraging Neurodivergent Experiences for Inclusive Design Education

Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design (BSID) | August 2016 – May 2022
University of Houston, Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design
Honors Thesis: Industrial Design and Cold War Consumer Politics

Memberships

Member and published author of ACM and SIGCHI
Professional member, Industrial Designers Society of America

Prior Involvement

Graduate representative, School of Industrial Design Council at Georgia Tech
Staff, Innovation and Design Collaborative at Design Bloc
Research assistant and facilitator, Radio Crafters Project in the CodeCraft Lab