The School of Human Ecology is excited to welcome four new faculty and three new instructional staff members to campus this fall. These scholars and lecturers bring interdisciplinary expertise in areas like sustainable design, social entrepreneurship and promoting the well-being of young children and their caregivers.
Andrea Buhler-Wassmann
Assistant Professor, Human Development & Family Studies
“I study how Latine caregivers nurture their children’s early development and learning through everyday practices in their home environments, with the goal of identifying culturally relevant ways to support caregivers and create environments that promote family and child well-being. My scholarship is organized around two central themes: (1) how caregivers navigate stressful contexts and the intrinsic, relational, and systemic factors that promote healthy socioemotional and psychobiological development, and (2) highlighting cultural strengths in caregiver-child interactions.
“My focus on Latine families stems from my personal connection to these communities as a Latina scholar and my conviction to promote social justice through developmental science. I am dedicated to working in partnership with community organizations that serve Latine families, as well as students from ethnoculturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.”
Esther Kang
Assistant Professor, Design Studies
“I am an intersectional and interdisciplinary researcher, educator, and creative. My scholarship focuses on the impacts and implications of design practices to inform ways of framing, practicing, and teaching equitable and sustainable design differently. I situate my research in sociotechnical and socioecological contexts and bring my work in conversation with discourses on locally-based design, community-based design, civic design, and design justice. This work is propelled by the goal of understanding the frictions between ideas that drive designs and the cultures that shape their conditions.
“This research builds upon 12+ years as a practitioner, including leading an independent consultancy that brought community-driven and locally-based approaches to policymaking, urban planning, and civic technology through (critical) design. Former collaborators include Vera Institute of Justice, New Jersey Office of Innovation, and Bloomberg Philanthropies’ What Work Cities, amongst others.”
Haley Madden
Teaching Faculty, Civil Society & Community Studies
“I believe in the power of working across sectors to create positive social change. Currently, I am supporting undergraduates interested in social innovation and social entrepreneurship through Civil Society & Community Studies coursework.
“For the past decade, I worked as a community engagement professional to support collaborations between community partners and UW–Madison faculty, staff, and students to create a more just and equitable world. A large part of my work was to create supportive programs, structures, and policies at UW to support high-quality community engagement that centers social justice.
“I have worked as an educator for all of my adult life. At UW–Madison, I’ve taught both undergraduates and graduate students in multiple disciplines, including in my graduate disciplinary home of journalism. Outside academia, I work as a horse training and riding instructor.”
Jeff Meyer
Teaching Faculty, Consumer Science
“With 25+ years in consumer-packaged goods and services, I’ve built a deep understanding of consumer behavior and a consumer-first mindset. My background spans from dynamic start-ups to Fortune 50 companies. I am thrilled to bring this experience into the classroom, making academic concepts come alive with real-world insights. It is my goal to fill our students with a strong grasp and appreciation of consumer dynamics while continuing my learning journey with them.”
Monika Thadhani
Teaching Professor, Design Studies
“I am an architect, interior architect, designer, and professor with over 20 years of professional practice experience. As the founder of MoNa Architecture, Design and Planning in Chicago, I lead projects that challenge traditional norms and focus on social equity and community engagement. My work interrogates how architecture, design, and interior spaces evolve in the face of automation and AI, continually questioning how these advancements impact human interaction and well-being.
“My design philosophy sees architecture as a dynamic, adaptive force — akin to an evolving ecosystem — driven by nature’s principles. This approach influences both my practice and my role as a teaching professor at UW–Madison, where I inspire students to explore how design can remain human-centered amidst technological change. In addition to my professional and academic work, I founded Education for Future, a nonprofit advancing education and social justice. Through community events and art workshops, I foster engagement and growth, while my collaboration with Laka Reacts addresses global social issues.”
Yaoyi Zhou
Assistant Professor, Design Studies
“My current research focuses on the following two topics: 1) social well-being and networks in the workplace and 2) space occupancy technologies and data analytics. Applying both quantitative and qualitative methods, my research empirically investigated emerging workplace design concepts and was published in book chapters and multiple peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of Facilities Management, Journal of Corporate Real Estate, Facilities, and Cornell Real Estate Review. Before joining UW–Madison, I worked as an assistant professor at the School of Architecture + Design at Virginia Tech. I also serve as a board member of the Transdisciplinary Workplace Research (TWR) network.”
Anika Kozlowski
Assistant Professor, Design Studies
