Rebekah Radtke

Rebekah Radtke an Associate Professor of Interiors in the College of Design and a Chellgren Endowed Professor at the University of Kentucky. Her research investigates design pathways exploring sustainable societal, ecological, and climatic futures in energy transition. Her research is based in post-mining territories of Appalachia using community-centric co-design processes in support of climate-responsive communities. The impacts of her work are through partnership development and research collaborations in global post-extraction and postindustrial territories. She collaboratively founded Global x Appalachia and Studio Appalachia to lead these endeavors which have been grant funded from various entities, chronicled in articles, book chapters, and presented locally and internationally. Her collaborative work more broadly includes pedagogical projects in China, design-build projects in Brazil, sustainability research in South Africa, community-activated interventions in Southeastern Kentucky, and experiential learning design initiatives in Lexington, Ky. Her scholarship seeks to build transformative connections through impactful collaborations and bring interior design principles to a broader audience.

Email: rebekah.radtke@uky.edu

Research Areas: design, Appalachia, post-mining, community led design practices

Collaborative Interests: department seminars, grant collaborations, guest lectures, public lectures, publications, research collaborations