one story stone building and wind turbine

Center for Design Research

Innovative research in smart technologies, consumer products and services

The Center for Design Research conducts advanced research that emphasizes the cross-disciplinary use of design as a problem solving tool. It is housed at the CDR complex which is located on KU’s west campus, and operates under the auspices of the School of Architecture & Design.

Led by director Professor Gregory Thomas, students enrolled in classes at the CDR have the opportunity to conceptualize and develop new consumer products and services using cutting-edge smart technologies in many subject areas. The majority of the projects done at the CDR are the result of partnerships with some of the world’s leading companies.

Explore the CDR

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Project Spotlights

See some examples of projects done with industry sponsors at the CDR.
Project Spotlights
inside of CDR with car cut out for research

Industry Sponsors

The CDR is proud to collaborate with some of the world’s most innovative companies.
Industry Sponsorship
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About the CDR

See the history and impact of the Center for Design Research.
About the CDR

Latest News from the CDR

Open AI Forum logo overlayed on an image of an illustration of AI featuring bubbles

Gregory Thomas has been invited to join the OpenAI initiative

The OpenAI Forum is an initiative that brings together experts and outstanding students to discuss and collaborate on the present and future of AI. Prof. Thomas was requested to join and accepted the invitation.
People sit around a table and collaborate while one person stands at a white board drawing a flow chart.

Who are Design Thinkers?

Once regarded as a unique blend of creativity and analytic rigor exclusive to highly skilled professionals, design thinking has significantly evolved over the past decades. This essay examines the question, "Who are the design thinkers?" and reflects on the transformation and current state of design thinking in education and business.
Cover of Paper, featuring a part cyborg figure and the text "Navigating the Nexus of Technology, Mental Health, and Social Withdrawal" By Gregory Thomas

Director Pens Mental Health Essay

After several months of work, I have finished an essay concerning social withdrawal syndrome and the impact of technology. The paper critically evaluates how tech innovations affect therapeutic approaches and social dynamics, aiming to balance technology's role in treatment against its risks of deepening isolation.
CDR barn

The CDR Makes the Grade

To meet the requirements of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, a team of reviewers composed of members from other universities came to conduct a review. The reviewers focus on whether the Design Department meets NASAD standards and guidelines for Mission, Goals, and Objectives, Size and Scope,...

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The CDR Complex

Located on KU’s West Campus on the site of a former dairy farm, CDR laboratories and classrooms are housed in renovated historic structures and a 2011 LEED Platinum certified building.