Applied researcher using human-centered design to improve public systems and infrastructure.
I study how people interact with complex public systems, and I direct my research towards who is served and who is missed, how services are delivered, and how they can fail. My work spans prototyping EV charging infrastructure, transit policy analysis, and strategic information design & advocacy for a nonprofit. My methods include design research, human factors, policy analysis, and AI-assisted research.
Transportation and mobility is the domain I return to most. I’ve had a lifelong passion for transit systems; as an adult, this manifests as transit infrastructure and policy.
🎓 Master of Design, Institute of Design | B.S., Cornell University
🏛️ Certificate in Public Management
📍 U.S. Citizen | Open to relocation | Native English fluency
✅ Available to work | In-person, hybrid, remote
Featured Project: Strategic Information Design for a Cultural Non-Profit Client
Research synthesis, facilitation, and information design to advocate for indigenous language infrastructure, resulting in successful funding from state legislature for the next phase
“Isaac’s deep understanding and sensitivity to the cultural complexity of the project, the political atmosphere, and the social context, were evident in his work. His strategic approach to graphically communicating values-based information was truly commendable and moved the project forward.”
Brian Strawn, AIA Director of the Office of Planning and Spatial Experience University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Featured Writing: Congestion Pricing in New York: An Analysis
A 2021 policy analysis of the then-proposed NYC congestion pricing program, the first of its kind in the country. Examines the proposal through the lenses of equity, urban mobility, and the political economy. Revisited in 2026 after the program’s last-minute suspension and re-launch.
AI extends research. It doesn’t replace my voice or judgment.
I use AI selectively, where it reliably extends my abilities: reviewing data, synthesizing large bodies of material, and retrieving content. For example, in a recent project, I used an agentic coding tool to archive 1000+ pages of text and images from an institutional website ahead of an unexpected reorganization, preserving online access for others while creating a navigable local backup.
There is no doubt that AI carries costs; there’s also a cost to a “never-AI” stance. Organizations that refuse these tools risk under-delivering for the same communities that have been left behind once before.
Language and design is never neutral; it carries values and shapes what communities believe is possible. My philosophy is to bring careful editorial judgment to all of my work, ensuring that what I deliver is precise, equitable, and trustworthy.