I'm Daniel Davis, a designer turned researcher and manager. My specialty is workplace research – over the past decade, I’ve led research teams that explore how people interact with spaces, helping businesses design better workplaces.
Currently, I'm the Head of Research for Hassell, a global architecture and design practice. I was previously the Director of Research at WeWork.
To tell you the truth, I didn't grow up wanting to be a workplace researcher. My first love was really design. I studied to be an architect in New Zealand, and landed a role as a computational designer for Sagrada Família in Barcelona (long story). Drawing on my experiences at Sagrada Família, I completed a PhD in architecture at RMIT University in Melbourne, supervised by Mark Burry and Jane Burry.
After my PhD, I moved to New York and joined the design consultancy CASE. WeWork acquired us and I suddenly found myself running research at this incredibly fast-moving startup. Over four years, I scaled the research team. We did some incredible research, and then it all came crashing down.
Just before the pandemic, I joined Hassell, a global architecture and design firm. I was interested in their workplaces. Originating from Australia, they have a different approach that is right on the forefront of what's happening globally. I currently lead Hassell's research team.
You can still find me in Brooklyn. My wife and I recently had a child, so my main project at the moment is working out how to be a dad.
Things I can help with
- I love helping PhD students. I've been an external examiner for PhDs at NYU, Bath, and DTU. If you want to chat about your research, if you want to talk about life after the PhD, or if you're looking for a committee member/examiner, please reach out: hi@danieldavis.com
- If you've got a problem that could use some design or research, contact me at Hassell: ddavis@hassellstudio.com
- If you're looking for a speaker for your event, jump over to my speaking page.