Elham Morshedzadeh, Ph.D. is an industrial designer, usability researcher, and educator whose research focuses on healthcare, community-centered design, and usability. She has taught design internationally and in the US, and was recently honored with the 2021 Young Educator Award from the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA).

Since 2017, she has collaborated with clinicians, engineers, and faculty at Virginia Tech to create unique research opportunities that are also learning experiences for her students—such as a study funded by the National Institutes of Health to design a comprehensive telemedical encounter for infants and preschool children, a sponsored program with the Veteran Affairs Hospital in Salem, VA and Walter Reeds National Military Medical Center.

Prior to teaching, Dr. Morshedzadeh spent 10 years as a professional industrial designer in Iran, where she was lead designer on a range of high-profile projects. She now incorporates her prior industry experience working with teams of engineers, anthropologists, and architects into the classroom by emphasizing the importance of experiential, evidence-based decision-making in participatory design. She joined the University of Houston on August 2022, as a Presidential Frontiers Assistant Professor for Healthcare Innovation.