Research
Research Interests
The NeuroDesign Research Lab investigates embodied cognition and cognitive processes including human creativity, visual thinking, and tactile thinking in the activities of design. A particular research interest developed over the last thirty years is design team collaboration and related thinking patterns.
Collaborative Industry opportunity
If you are interested in joining our effort in researching design thinking, teams and practice, please contact us and join our Affiliate Program
Current Affiliate Partners:
Current Research
Prototyping and sketching in Remote Collaboration
- Most research in design is investigated through the means of sketching and in person collaboration
- This study investigates the reasoning patterns in sketching and physical prototyping in remote collaboration
- Team: Lawrence Domingo, Larry Leifer, and Jan Auernhammer
Psychological Safety in Remote Collaboration
- Psychological Safety is one of the most influential team factors. In a recent study at Google
- This study investigates changes in psychological safety within short team collaboration
- Team: Lawrence Domingo, Marius Gutzeit, Larry Leifer, and Jan Auernhammer
Entrepreneurial Cognition
- Do Managers and Entrepreneurs think differently?
- This study investigates the similarities and differences in cognition in Entrepreneurs and Managers
- Team: Oliver Xie, Katerina Monlux, Jan Auernhammer, Neeraj Sonalkar, Jennifer Bruno, Manish Saggar
K-12 Empathy Design Thinking Courses in China (at BNU & with TokyoTech)
- How can K-12 students learn, practice, and apply design thinking in everyday life?
- This study investigates learnability, creativity, and team collaboration through cognitive fNIRS experiments.
- Team: Wei Liu, Jing Qiu, Zhuo (Rachel) Han, Hui Wang, Qiandong Wang, Jan Auernhammer, Takumi Ohashi, Larry Leifer
Social Inclusion for Elderly with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) in a Digitalized World (at BNU & with TokyoTech)
- How can we include and engage elderly with MCI in the digitalized world?
- This study investigates cognition of pathological aging in everyday interactions with digital devices, and NeuroDesign and inclusive design solutions.
- Team: Di Zhu, Abdullah Al Muhmud, Wei Liu, Dahua Wang, Huamao Peng, Jun Wang, Jan Auernhammer, Takumi Ohashi, Larry Leifer
List of publications
2022
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Auernhammer, J., Sonalkar, N., Xie, H., Monlux, K., Bruno, J. and Saggar, M. 2022. Examining the neuro-cognitive basis of applied creativity in entrepreneurs and managers. In Meinel & Leifer (ed.) Design Thinking Research. Springer
2021
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Saggar, M. et al. 2021. Creativity and the brain: An editorial introduction to the special issue on the neuroscience of creativity. NeuroImage Special Issue
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Auernhammer, J. Sonalkar, N. and Saggar, M. 2021. NeuroDesign: From Neuroscience Research to Design Thinking Practice. In Meinel & Leifer (ed.) Design Thinking Research. Springer
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Liu A. Li B. Wang X. Zhang S. Zhu Y. Liu W. (2021) NeuroDesignScience: An fNIRS-Based System Designed to Help Pilots Sustain Attention During Transmeridian Flights. Intelligent Human Systems Integration 2021. IHSI 2021. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing vol 1322. Springer Cham. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-68017-6_25
2020
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Auernhammer J. Liu W. Ohashi T. Leifer L. Byler E. Pan W. (2021) NeuroDesign: Embracing Neuroscience Instruments to Investigate Human Collaboration in Design. Human Interaction Emerging Technologies and Future Applications III. IHIET 2020. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing vol 1253. Springer Cham. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-55307-4_43
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Ohashi, T. Auernhammer, J., Liu,W., Pan, W. and Leifer, L. 2020. NeuroDesignScience: Systematic Literature Review of Current Research on Design using Neuroscience Techniques
2019
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Sonalkar, N., Jahanikia, S., Xie, H., Geniesse, C., Ayub, R., Beaty, R. and Saggar. M. 2019. Mining the Role of Design Reflection and Associated Brain Dynamics in Creativity
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Mayseless, N., Hawthorne, G. and Reiss A. 2019. The Neuroscience of Team Collaboration During a Design Thinking Event in Naturalistic Settings
2017
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Saggar, Quintin Bott, Kienitz, Chien, Hong, Liu, Royalty, Hawthorne, and Reiss. 2017. Cerebral Cortex. 2017. Changes in Brain Activation Associated with Spontaneous Improvization and Figural Creativity After Design-Thinking-Based Training: A Longitudinal fMRI Study
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Mayseless, N., Saggar, M., Hawthorne, G. and Reiss, A. 2017. Creativity in the Twenty-first Century: The Added Benefit of Training and Cooperation
2016
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Grace Hawthorne, Manish Saggar, Eve-Marie Quintin, Nick Bott, Eliza Keinitz, Ning LiuYin-Hsuan Chien, Daniel Hong, Adam Royalty, and Allan L. Reiss. 2016. Designing a Creativity Assessment Tool for the Twenty-First Century: Preliminary Results and Insights from Developing a Design-Thinking Based Assessment of Creative Capacity
2015
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Manish Saggar, Lindsay C. Chromik, Adam Royalty, Grace Hawthorne, and Allan L. Reiss. 2015. Developing Novel Neuroimaging Paradigm to Assess Neural Correlates of Improvisation and Creative Thinking Using fMRI
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Manish Saggar, Eve-Marie Quintin, Eliza Kienitz, Nicholas T. Bott, Zhaochun Sun, Wei-Chen Hong, Yin-hsuan Chien, Ning Liu, Robert F. Dougherty, Adam Royalty, Grace Hawthorne & Allan L. Reiss. 2015. Pictionary-based fMRI paradigm to study the neural correlates of spontaneous improvisation and figural creativity
2014
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Kienitz, Quintin, Saggar, Bott, Royalty, Hong, Liu, Chien, Hawthorne, Reiss. 2014. Thinking Skills & Creativity. 2014. Targeted intervention to increase creative capacity and performance: A randomized controlled pilot study
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Manish Saggar, Grace Hawthorne, Eve-Marie Quintin, Eliza Kienitz, Nicholas T. Bott, Daniel HongYin-Hsuan Chien, Ning Liu, Adam Royalty, and Allan L. Reiss. 2014. Developing Novel Methods to Assess Long-Term Sustainability of Creative Capacity Building and Applied Creativityce
2013
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Martin Steinert & Kathryn W. Jablokow. 2013. Triangulating front end engineering design activities with physiology data and psychological preferences.