Upali Nanda, PhD

Dr. Upali Nanda is a Partner and Executive Vice President at HKS. As the firm’s Global Sector Director, Innovation, she oversees HKS’ Cities & Communities practice and its Advisory, Research, and Sustainable Design services. Based in Detroit, Upali has extensive experience leading research projects in design practice with a focus on the impact of design on human health and perception. She was executive director of Center for Advanced Design Research and Evaluation, or CADRE, the research arm of HKS, for 10 years and teaches as an Adjunct Professor of Practice at the Taubman School of Architecture and Urban Planning at University of Michigan. In 2018 she was awarded the Women in Architecture Innovator Award by Architectural Record.