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Reimaging Design through Material Health

Jonsara is a designer, artist, educator, and futurist. She is co-founder of Healthy Materials Lab (HML) at Parsons School of Design and founded Salty Labs, a climate-positive, sustainable design studio. She is also Founding Director of the MFA Interior Design program at Parsons, where she is an Associate Professor. 

At HML, Jonsara co-leads a dedicated team of researchers focused on how human health and longevity are affected by materials that surround us. She is a pioneer in the field of Material Health, driving widespread adoption in the architecture and design industry. With over a decade of experience in leading design and manufacturing teams, Jonsara leverages her deep industry knowledge and commitment to democratic design. She is frequently invited to speak about Material Health with mainstream media, professionals and higher education.

Jonsara has received multiple awards, including a nomination for the 2025 Cooper Hewitt Visionary Design Award, RISD’s Art & Design Educator Award in 2023, and the 2022 Women in Architecture Innovation Award from Architectural Record with Alison Mears. Together, they co-edited the publication “Material Health: Design Frontiers,” released in 2023. Jonsara holds a Master of Architecture from Cranbrook Academy of Art and a BFA in Industrial Design from Rhode Island School of Design.