Faculty

Rabia believes that interior design is both an art and science, requiring creativity, critical thinking, deep understanding of human needs and latest technologies to create an overall environment. She strives to create an inclusive and collaborative learning environment where students feel empowered to express their unique perspectives while engaging with foundational design principles. In addition to teaching design studios, she also teaches color and light where she pushes students to not only develop a deep understanding of how these elements profoundly influence space and human experience, but also encourage students to explore the emotional and psychological impacts of color and light. She integrates teamwork and collaboration a lot in her courses to cultivate a creative environment where students can experiment, critique, and evolve their ideas. She is also exploring the relationship between building design and human perspectives/behaviors through her research. Her areas of research include Human Centered Design, Inclusive Design, Multiculturalism and multicultural space design and Environmental behavior. She bridges her research and teaching by providing students with opportunities to understand the needs of diverse users by participating in design charettes and designing multicultural spaces.