Sharran Parkinson, Ph.D.

Office: HS 210B

Sharran Parkinson, PhD, is Professor of Design at Texas Tech University, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in design history, theory, research, and studio practice. Prior to joining Texas Tech University, she held faculty and academic leadership appointments at Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts and Ohio University Department of Interior Architecture and later served as Chair of the Department of Design at Texas Tech. With decades of experience in higher education, her scholarship examines the connections between architecture, design, visual culture, literature, and cultural identity across historical and contemporary contexts. Her historical research focuses particularly on Gothic architecture and its later reinterpretation through nineteenth-century design reform and visual culture, as well as the processes through which historical forms are reinterpreted, adapted, and invested with new cultural meanings across time. Her work has also explored the relationship between Symbolist literature and design, particularly through studies of Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh and the influence of Symbolist thought on fin-de-siècle visual culture and design. Her publications address topics ranging from medieval architecture and visual culture to healthcare design, environmental psychology, low-vision design, and the restorative effects of nature-based design interventions.