Alissa Burkholder Murphy
About Alissa Burkholder Murphy
I'm currently teaching a multidisciplinary, project-based design course in Johns Hopkins' Engineering department. I teach students how to define a problem and then move through ideation, prototyping, and testing of solutions in an active learning environment. My practical experience in engineering has included taking products from design through manufacturing. Prior to Hopkins, I served as a the sole mechanical engineer at a Bay Area medical device start-up, brainstorming, building, and testing surgical tools. I spent 2014-2018 with Stanford University's d.school, teaching and coaching design thinking and creating relevant curriculum. From 2010-2014, I co-managed a local design team in Myanmar to develop income-generating products for rural farmers. Prior to Myanmar, I designed medical devices in the Bay Area. My side interests include: encouraging women in STEM and athletics, the ethics of design work in historically marginalized communities, playing basketball, being with my littles, riding bicycles, and all peanut butter & chocolate combinations.