Deniz Cengiz is a Design Researcher at IDEO, a global design and innovation firm, specializing in co-design, community-led design, and equitable research practices. With a background in both the humanities and sciences, she blends rigorous research with deep community engagement to tackle complex challenges in the world. Her projects span healthcare, education, climate, and technology; reimagining digital and physical products, envisioning strategic futures, and shaping user experiences grounded in human insight. 

Her path into design began at the University of Rochester, working as a Design Thinking Fellow at the Barbara J. Burger iZone, where she co-founded iZone’s program and its 12,000-square-foot innovation space. She led student teams that cultivated creativity, resilience, and bias-to-action, facilitating dozens of custom workshops and programming for the University and Rochester communities. As a Karp Library Fellow—a selective, cohort-based experiential program that prepares students for professional leadership—she co-shaped the fellowship’s mission and strategic direction, and later led a community-partnership program to build a sensory playspace and garden in a Rochester play desert. 

Deniz holds a B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and a B.A. in Archaeology, Technology, and Historical Structures from the University of Rochester.