Student Spotlight: Adrienne Baer
September 20, 2021
Meet Adrienne Baer
Incoming PhD student
HOMETOWN
Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania (outside Philadelphia)
PLACE LIVED PRIOR TO STANFORD
Boston, Massachusetts
ALMAE MATRES
University of Maryland
Stanford University
DEGREES AND MAJORS
BS in Information Systems
MS in Engineering: Design Impact
Work and academic experiences
As a child, I was fascinated by an exhibit on personality at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, which launched a lifelong curiosity for understanding people. In college, I studied Information Systems and Neuroscience and was introduced to design thinking, a framework which enabled me to structure my curiosity and creatively approach interdisciplinary problems. After college, at Optum, I worked as a data analyst and led programs using design thinking for social innovation, sparking my desire to understand more about how organizations innovate. I proceeded to my master's degree in Design Impact at Stanford, where I supplemented classes on design with those on organizational behavior, additionally conducting research on cybersecurity careers with MS&E's WTO group. Through these experiences, I fell in love with organizational research and exploring ideas at uncommon intersections and, importantly, had incredible support and mentorship along the way. I knew a PhD would be my next step, and I was drawn to MS&E because here I can bring together my interdisciplinary experiences to conduct impactful, creative research in organizations.
Impact you hope to have in your field and the world
There are so many challenges in the world that require collaboration: between humans with different perspectives, power and privileges, between people and technologies, between governments and industries, and much more. My research aims to help organizations use technology to tackle wicked problems with creativity, compassion, and cooperation. I try to understand what drives successful teaming among parties with differing expertise, disciplines, and viewpoints, particularly when groups that are not often invited to the metaphorical "table" are included. Further, I explore how this successful collaboration, as well as the incorporation of longitudinal or historical perspectives, improves creative problem solving.
Interests and hobbies
Outside of work, I can be found creating (and eating) elaborate charcuterie boards and cooking in general. I enjoy connecting with others via food! I also run long distances and read books of all kinds (not at the same time). Lastly, I like to make things in a variety of mediums, especially drawing, and I put my design training to good use by volunteering as a UX/UI designer and design consultant, currently working on violence prevention in San Francisco.