Faculty Directory

Professor Groat's research interests include interpretations of environmental meaning, place theory, gender issues in architectural education, as well as research design and methods. Her foundational work in these areas has had a significant impact on design studies research, and has received recognition in the academic realm as well as in national media such as U.S. News and World Report and Women in Higher Education. The University of Michigan honored her work on gender in architectural education with the 1998 Sarah Goddard Power Award. She teaches both core and elective courses in the Doctoral Program, as well as a course on alternative practices for the professional program in architecture. In addition to professional experience in architecture and graduate degrees in teaching and design, she holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Environmental Psychology from the University of Surrey, England. Her research has meaningful applications to both professional and academic contexts; and she has published widely to reach these audiences in journals such as: Architecture, Progressive Architecture, Journal of Architectural Education, Journal of Environmental Psychology, and Journal of Architectural and Planning Research. She has contributed numerous chapters to edited volumes and has also published two books: Giving Places Meaning (1995) and Architectural Research Methods [(2002), co-authored with David Wang]. With her husband Lawrence Stern, she is presently writing a book intended for a general audience titled Family Places: Creating a Home for the Relationships You Cherish.