Luis Mejia-Puig, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Originally from Colombia, I am an Industrial Designer with a Ph.D. from Oklahoma State University in Design, Housing and Merchandising, and a master’s degree in Design and Product Development in Barcelona, Spain. I have broad teaching experience with undergraduate|graduate design students, and over ten of those years, I was Head for the Industrial Design Program at a Colombian university. To fulfill my education and widen my professional development, I have moved from Colombia in South America to Spain in Europe and now to the United States. I believe my international background has been critical to developing my aesthetic sensibility and multicultural understanding. Like any discipline with high symbolic and interpretative attributes, design discipline is about exploring perspectives and re-shaping the world.

Research Areas

Extended Realities; Emerging Technologies; Design Process; Design Pedagogy

Selected Publications

• Mejia-Puig, L., & Chandrasekera, T., (2023). “The Presentation of Self in Virtual Reality: A Cognitive Load Study.” Journal of Interior Design. 48(1) 29-46. https://doi.org/10.1111/joid.12234.
• Mejia-Puig, L., & Chandrasekera, T., (2023). “The Virtual Body in a Design Exercise: A Conceptual Framework for Embodied Cognition.” The International Journal of Technology and Design Education. 33, 1861-1882. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-022-09793-8.
• Slevitch, L., Chandrasekera, T., Mejia-Puig, L., Korneva, K. (2022). “Virtual Reality images’ impact on cognition and affect in hotel promotions: Application of self-reported and psycho-physiological measures.” Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management. 53: 176-187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2022.10.005.
• Mejia-Puig, L., Korneva, E., & Chandrasekera, T., (2022). “How Does a Retail Environment Affect Perceived Retail Crowding?: A Study Using Virtual Reality.” The International Journal of Architectonic, Spatial, and Environmental Design 17 (1): 151-165. https://doi:10.18848/2325-1662/CGP/v17i01/151-165.

Related Websites

• https://luismejiap.com/
• https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=8X5so7oAAAAJ&hl=en
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/luis-mejia-puig-108989b0/
• https://www.youtube.com/@dcsquarelab

Selected Presentations

• 2025 Moon., S., & Mejia-Puig., L., “Combining Psycho-Physiological Methods to Assess Environmental Elements: Time Perception in Virtual Reality.”, EDRA56, Designing Communities for Climate Action and Resilience, The Environmental Design Research Association., Halifax, NS-CA., May 27-30.
• 2025 Mejia-Puig., L., “Reinforcing Career Choice Development Through the Exploration of Digital Tools.” IDEC 2025 International Conference., Chicago, IL., Mar 16-20.
• 2024 Mejia-Puig., L., “Exploring Virtual Reality and Biophilic Attributes in the Built Environment to Impact Self-Perceived Pain Thresholds.”, EDRA55, Centric Environments, The Environmental Design Research Association., Portland, OR., Jun 19-22.