Nicole Porter PhD PGCHE MARCH BPD FHEA MSt MBCT is the Associate Dean of Research at the Huckabee College of Architecture, Texas Tech University.

Professor Porter's multi-disciplinary approach to built environment design encompasses architecture, landscape architecture and urban design. She is the author of two books, 'Drawing, Well-being and the Exploration of Everyday Place' (2024, Intellect) and 'Landscape and Branding: The Promotion and Production of Place' (2016, Routledge), alongside over 40 other publications and conference presentations that she has delivered in over 20 countries. Her research and teaching explores the complex and fascinating relationships between humans and environments, from leading award-winning student architecture studios in National Park landscapes, through to illustrating the importance of the views from our residential windows. The belief that designers play a vital role in shaping the environments that impact our lives and collective well-being is at the heart of her work.

Her current research, teaching and practice focuses on mindfulness-based approaches to design and well-being, specifically the relationships between contemplative practices, places and people. Mindfulness, defined as 'paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgementally' (Kabat-Zinn) has been developed as skills-based programs, for example Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, which have been proven to improve professional and personal outcomes in areas as diverse as education, the workplace and healthcare. Within this rapidly growing field, Porter has introduced spatial design concepts to mindfulness scholars and practitioners, and introduced mindfulness to the design community. As a life-long learner, she recently completed a highly specialized professional graduate degree in Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MSt MBCT 2025) at the University of Oxford UK, to support her ongoing research, teaching and leadership at the intersection of built environment design, pedagogy and mental health. Her work has been awarded Royal Institute of British Architecture funding, resulting in the impactful 'Mindful Architects' report (2016), and invitations to speak and publish her work in multiple languages.

Porter has an international perspective with over 18 years of full-time academic experience in the UK (University of Nottingham), Australia (University of Canberra), and the US (University of Utah), as well as working in the public sector in Canberra Australia in urban design and planning. Her academic journey began at the Melbourne School of Design at the University of Melbourne, where she was awarded degrees in landscape architecture (PhD 2009), architecture (MArch2004) and planning (Bachelor Planning and Design 1999). Before joining HCOA as Associate Dean, Porter served in several senior academic leadership roles, notably as Chair of Multi-disciplinary design (MDD) at the University of Utah (2022–2025) and Director of Postgraduate Research (PGR) for the Faculty of Engineering at Nottingham (2019–2022).

MSt MBCT, University of Oxford
PGCHE, University of Nottingham
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Melbourne
Grad. Cert. Landscape Architecture, University of Melbourne
Master of Architecture, University of Melbourne
Bachelor of Planning and Design, University of Melbourne