Dr. Jonathan Williams is the Dean of the Design Studies Institute and serves as an Assistant Professor of Design Studies on the Institute's faculty. As Dean of the Design Studies Institute, Jonathan brings a combination of experience from both academia and the private education sector to champion the development of interdisciplinary, student-centered design education programs. As Dean, Jonathan is committed to cultivating a transformative learning environment that equips learners for the future of design practice.

Jonathan was previously the Head of Faculty at the Design Students League, the predecessor organization to the Design Studies Institute. Jonathan has worked broadly in adult education, having designed technical courses at Harvard Business School, General Assembly, and edX/2U, Inc. Jonathan has held academic appointments as an Clinical Assistant Professor of Human-Centered Design at Pace University (New York, NY), Assistant Professor of Management & Information Technology at St. Francis College (Brooklyn, NY), Clinical Lecturer at Iona University (New Rochelle, NY), Adjunct Assistant Professor at New York University's School of Professional Studies (New York, NY), an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Health Administration at New York University's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service (New York, NY), a Part Time Lecturer at The New School (New York, NY), a Part Time Lecturer at Rutgers University (Newark, NJ), and an Instructor at University of the People (Pasadena, CA).

Jonathan's practice of design is an integral part to his agenda for practice-based design research. Jonathan's own design practice spans multiple practice areas, including information visualization, instructional design, and design strategy. His current research centers around the exploration of knot tying as an instructional activity for beginning design students. Jonathan's research focuses on knot tying as a form of visualization, rooted in algorithmic, spatial, and design thinking. Jonathan's scholarship contributes to the advancement of design pedagogy.

Doctor of Design from North Carolina State University
MS in Strategic Design and Management from Parsons School of Design
BS in Mathematical Statistics from Wake Forest University

Design Education & Pedagogy
Design Innovation
Design Strategy
Information Visualization
Practice-Based Design Research