QRI Storytelling Series – Dr. Christina Bollo

The Storytelling Series features the stories of faculty from across campus who are teaching, employing, and developing novel qualitative research techniques. The series seeks to highlight the journeys of our faculty – what led them here to UIUC – and take a deeper dive into the innovative methods they are applying in their current research.

On Thursday, February 9th the Center for Social and Behavioral Science’s Qualitative Research Initiative (QRI) hosted our first Spring 2023 session of the Storytelling Series featuring Dr. Christina Bollo, Assistant Professor in the School of Architecture.

The session titled, Maximizing Resident Voice in Qualitative Housing Design Research, explored how a practicing architect (Dr. Bollo) pivoted to a career as an “accidental academic”. Dr. Bollo discussed her research working to understand the role of dwelling design in home-making affordances for people who have experienced long-term homelessness. She also shared how the pandemic required a methodological pivot, resulting in richer, more reliable, and more meaningful data.