Melissa Templeton, Ph.D.

“At HDR, we’re eager to help our communities thrive, and doing so requires listening. I’m inspired by learning about people, and translating their values and concerns into actionable insights that make our work impactful.”

A cultural historian and anthropologist by training, Melissa has extensive experience in qualitative data analysis, ethnography, and archival research. She began her research career in academia, focusing on social movements and their relationship to cultural studies and the fine arts, before moving to our social and behavioral sciences group. 

As a social scientist, Melissa engages in wide range of projects and studies ranging in scale from buildings and campuses to whole communities. She contributes to study design and protocol development, instrumentation and measurement, data collection and facilitation, and analysis primarily in the qualitative realm. Melissa is fascinated by the social and psychological implications of the built environment and how our work can best support the communities we serve.