Gabriel Harp

Gabriel Harp oversees research development activities within the college to support new research initiatives; develop new research opportunities and strategic partnerships; and work directly with faculty, staff, and external partners to build capacity and administer the research and creative practice enterprise. 

Gabriel’s background includes a mix of skills and organizational experience — from leading foresight-driven design research to conducting primary opinion research for climate change communications — to helping launch and build a next-generation infrastructures think-tank, an automated emissions reduction clean energy start-up, and an academic program and center for experimental media arts. 

Gabriel’s approach to professional practice utilizes techniques from integrative design research to map and visualize the distribution and composition of design concerns (incl. points-of-view, opinions, narratives, rhetorical frames, experiences, topics, categories, thematic relationships, roles, activities, cultural analytics, and processes) for participatory sensemaking, organizational change design, strategic foresight, and strategic communications. 

Gabriel applies these practices to an array of problems in research and creative practice development; program design, evaluation and assessment; climate-health impacts prevention and preparedness; shifts in energy use-practices; teaming and swift trust; and emerging technology use-practices.

Gabriel studied Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior (floral trait evolution, the genetics of host-parasite population dynamics, and plant community ecology) at Indiana University, Bloomington; and Art & Design (complex systems; conceptual change in cognitive anthropology; and social studies of science, technology and society) at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. 

Gabriel is also a visiting researcher and associated member of the Heidelberg Institute of Global Health Climate Change and Health Intervention Working Group, and he currently serves as Chair of the Energy Commission for the City of Ann Arbor.