Southern Methodist University

Kate Canales is a Research Professor and the Director of Design and Innovation Programs in the Caruth Institute for Engineering Education at the Lyle School of Engineering at Southern Methodist University. She has a background in mechanical engineering, product design and design research, and much of her recent work focuses on building creative capacity inside organizations. She studies and teaches the ways we innovate on the basis of human needs and behavior, and is responsible for integrating empathy and creativity into the technical engineering curriculum. Kate teaches Human Centered Design and Building Creative Confidence and Introduction to Engineering Design.

Kate has worked as a designer and design researcher at IDEO and as a Creative Director at frog design. Her writing on human centered design has appeared in GOOD magazine, The Atlantic, and The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science. Kate holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University.