The University of Kansas School of Architecture and Design has named Dr. Hui Cai as the next chair of the Department of Architecture. 

Cai has been at the University of Kansas since 2014 working as an associate professor of architecture and associate director of the KU Institute of Health + Wellness Design. With a focus on cross-cultural studies on healthcare design, she has helped build the institute into a community and industry research asset. The institute has worked with companies and communities to improve rural health care access, develop innovative health care facilities, and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Cai received her doctorate in evidence-based design from the Georgia Institute of Technology after earning a Bachelor’s and Master’s in architecture at Southeast University in Jiangsu, China and the National University of Singapore, respectively. This time was also spent practicing architecture in the region. In 2011, she was awarded the International Academy Award in Research by the International Academy for Design and Health for her work in linking spatial configurations of nursing units with communication and coordination among caregivers. 

As detailed by KU: “Her dissertation was the first of its kind, exploring the cultural dimensions of nursing unit designs under a holistic framework encompassing the national and organizational culture of healthcare. It provides a comprehensive comparison between the U.S. and Chinese nursing unit typologies with quantitative metrics through space syntax analysis.”

Prior to joining The University of Kansas faculty, Cai taught at the University of Missouri and also served as the Health + Science research leader and designer at RTKL Associates in Dallas. 

Her current research focuses on analyzing the relationship between culture, human behavior, and the physical environment in health care settings by using performance-driven and evidence-based design. 

“Since arriving at KU in 2014, Cai has been integral to the success of the department’s teaching and research missions,” reads the KU’s announcement. “As a practicing architect with teaching experience that ranges from working with first-year through doctoral students, she brings a holistic and cross-cultural understanding of architectural education.