Jan is one of the world’s leading researchers in architectural design psychology. His research traces phenomenological experience back to the neurological mechanisms that cause them. This is especially relevant for design and health, because the designed environment frequently has a powerful influence on the very symptoms that need to be treated.
Jan’s research experience places him at the centre of current thinking about design for health and wellbeing. He is on the editorial board of three academic journals and has guest edited a special edition on ‘Designing the Psychiatric Milieu’. In addition, Jan regularly judges the International Academy Awards for Design and Health. He has won 19 awards for his publications, conference presentations and teaching. Furthermore, Jan was the research lead on an international architectural health design competition, winning first prize ($1M). He is a research fellow of the Schizophrenia Research Institute and the Centre for Mental Health and Urban Design. He is a registered architect and until recently, served as Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Creative Industries at QUT, Brisbane. He now runs his own practice - Psychological Design and teaches casually at UNSW and UTS in Sydney.
Jan is internationally recognised as a popular keynote speaker and designer specialising in cultural understanding, patient-centred models of care, design psychology and all aspects of healthcare design.