Profile picture of Kiersten Muenchinger

Kiersten Muenchinger

Professor, Product Design
Product Design
Phone: 541-346-6891
Office: 243 Lawrence Hall

MS, Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, 1998
Honors, BA, Engineering Sciences, Dartmouth College, 1993

Kiersten Muenchinger is a Professor in the Department of Product Design at the University of Oregon. Kiersten researches and teaches the intersection of materials, manufacturing and design with an emphasis on sustainability tactics and metrics.  Her current research utilizes Kansei engineering principles to measure how consumers perceive the sustainability of consumer product materials. Her experimental design work has received international commendation by Red Dot; IDEA; the Green Product Award; ShowPDX; and Salão Design. She has been a US Fulbright scholar specializing in sustainable product design with Polis University in Tirana, Albania, and Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Before joining UO, Kiersten was a practicing design engineer with IDEO, Fitch, Sottsass Associatti, Walt Disney Imagineering and Ford Motor Company.

Desktop Injection Molding with PLA in the Academy: Increasing Manufacturing-based Experiential Learning: https://doi.org/10.18848/2325-128X/CGP/v17i02/197-211

The relative influence of sustainable product design strategies for polymer products: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clema.2023.100194

Design Research Toward Viable Bus Use for an Aging Population: https://doi.org/10.18848/1833-1874/CGP/v12i01/15-26

Using Kansei-based metrics in conjunction with LCA Impact Factors to Enhance Sustainable Materials selection of Wood, Polymers and Metals: https://doi.org/10.18848/2325-1379/CGP/v06i03/38667

The Green Product Design Network: Focusing on the Role of Materials in Product Design: https://doi.org/10.18848/1833-1874/CGP/v05i05/38173

http://www.idsa.org/news/member-news/kiersten-muenchinger-idsa

http://www.plasticsnews.com/article/20171214/NEWS/171219958/study-finds-four-emotional-drivers-for-determining-product