Design Researcher PK-12 Education

3 days ago

Conshohocken, PA, United States Hord Coplan Macht Full time
About Our People

Excellent design can't happen without exceptional people. This value continues to guide our growth. We hire talented people, inspire them with work that they love and build a team to achieve something special.

About Our Search

Excellent design can't happen without exceptional people. This value continues to guide our growth. We hire talented people, inspire them with work that they love and build a team to achieve something special.

HCM's PK12 Market Sector is looking for a Design Researcher in our Conshohocken office who can integrate educational strategy with evidence-based environmental psychology and neuroarchitecture. This role will work within an interdisciplinary team of architects, interior designers, landscape architects and school leaders and stakeholders. You'll conduct and translate research into spatial strategies that enhance student learning and emotional well-being in school environments.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Lead and conduct research studies focused on the cognitive, emotional, and physiological impacts of built environments on students-especially related to attention, stress, memory, and social cognition.
  • Design and deploy experimental tools, from behavioral protocols and psychometric surveys to sensor-driven data collection (e.g., EEG, eye-tracking, or physiological monitoring).
  • Analyze quantitative and qualitative data-using statistical software packages (R, SPSS, MATLAB)-and craft actionable insights for design teams.
  • Translate research into design guidelines: sensory-rich classroom layouts, daylighting and acoustics strategies, outdoor environments and wellbeing zones informed by neuroarchitecture principles for all ages.
  • Collaborate with educators, administrators, and design committees to align design decisions with pedagogical objectives and neurodevelopmental insights.
  • Communicate research outcomes through internal workshops, client presentations, peer-reviewed publications, and community-facing exhibits.
  • Mentor junior team members and help grow the firm's internal capacity for user-based research methods and cognitive design tools.
  • Work closely with Principals and leaders in the Pk12 Studio to set priorities for research topics and strategies
  • Work with internal design teams to incorporate research into design solutions.
Qualifications:
  • M.A./M.S./Ph.D. in Cognitive Science, Neuroscience, Psychology, Educational Psychology, Environmental Psychology, Architecture or related fields.
  • 10+ years of experiencein applied research pertaining to architecture, education, workspace design, or environmental psychology.
  • Technical research skills: Experimental design, sensor deployment, statistical modeling, data visualization.
  • Proficient in Revit and Adobe Creative Suite-preferred if integrated into cognitive modeling and prototyping workflows.
  • Effective communication skills and the ability to present to non-technical audiences and craft compelling, evidence-based narratives.
  • Has a collaborative mindset and experience working across disciplines like architecture, education, human factors.
  • Experience with research dissemination, peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, or public engagement on neuroarchitecture themes.
  • Preferred experience in K-12 design, and familiarity with regulatory standards related to educational environments (e.g., acoustics, lighting, IEQ).
About Our Culture

Creative. Entrepreneurial. Responsible. We care about helping people realize their potential. We do much more as a team than simply design together. We're committed to social, environmental, and community responsibility through firm wide activities and events.

About our Benefits
  • Medical, Dental, and Vision Plans
  • 401(K) with company match
  • Company paid STD, LTD, Life
  • PTO Plans
  • Mentorship Programs and Professional Development


EEO Statement

HCM provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

Accessibility Statement

HCM is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. To request reasonable accommodation, contact Human Resources at 410-837-7311.

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