Eliza Squibb

Eliza Squibb serves as a Critic in the School of Industrial Design at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), with additional faculty appointments in the Hyundai Motor Group Regeneration Studio (RISDxHMG) and MIT's D-Lab. She co-teaches design thinking courses connecting student teams with global startups and nonprofits to address challenges in health, agriculture, sanitation, climate change, and social entrepreneurship.

Education:

• BFA, Rhode Island School of Design

Research Interests: Squibb bridges textile design with public health through patterns that communicate critical health information for populations facing literacy or language barriers, directly increasing healthcare access equity. Her work focuses on maternal and infant health campaigns using visual textile systems, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration with health workers, artisans, and artists to solve global challenges in resource-limited settings. She actively applies design thinking to climate resilience and social entrepreneurship through community-centered co-creation processes.

Scientific Awards and Honors:

• Two Grand Challenge Exploration grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for health communication innovations
• 2019 Atlantic Fellow for US + Global Health Equity (George Washington University/Atlantic Institute)

Grant Leadership and Teaching: Squibb directs Gates Foundation-funded projects implementing textile-based health tools in international campaigns. She mentors student innovators in RISDxHMG and MIT D-Lab initiatives while facilitating design workshops for health conferences and DESIGNxRI's community programs. Her teaching extends to RISD's Project Open Door college access initiative and Textiles department.

Labs and Collaborative Networks: As core faculty in RISDxHMG and MIT D-Lab, she integrates student teams with global health organizations and social enterprises. She actively contributes to DESIGNxRI's ecosystem through the Design Challenge program, focusing on Rhode Island community solutions while maintaining field partnerships with international health campaigns.