San Diego—April 3, 2014—NewSchool of Architecture & Design (NewSchool) is pleased to announce that Dr. Thomas Albright, President of the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture (ANFA), Professor and Conrad T. Prebys Chair, and Director of the Center for the Neurobiology of Vision at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, will deliver the keynote address at NewSchool’s 29th annual commencement ceremony June 14.

As president of ANFA, an organization NewSchool has been involved with since ANFA’s start, Albright advocates the promotion and advancement of knowledge that links neuroscience research to a growing understanding of human responses to the built environment. Albright’s scientific research has placed him at the forefront of his field and it has direct application to the work of architects and designers.

“We are extremely honored to have Dr. Thomas Albright address our graduating class because his work brings attention to the power of architecture and design to inspire, heal and impact our world through the built environment,” said NewSchool President Gregory J. Marick. “The scientific research being done by Dr. Albright and his colleagues at ANFA and the Salk Institute speaks to the future of design through the use of evidence-based approaches to create highly relevant and desired spaces and experiences.”

NewSchool’s commencement will take place, as is traditionally done each year, at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, Calif.

Albright’s research addresses the brain bases of visual perception, visual memory and visually-guided behavior. He has received numerous honors for his work, including membership in the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Albright is the inaugural holder of the Conrad T. Prebys Endowed Chair in Vision Research at the Salk Institute. Albright earned his undergraduate degree in Psychology at the University of Maryland, and his Ph.D. in Psychology and Neuroscience at Princeton University where he was also a post-doctoral fellow.

NewSchool has long-standing ties to ANFA and regularly offers students the opportunity to study and research the connections of neuroscience and architecture. One of ANFA’s founders is NewSchool Professor and Dean Emeritus Gilbert Cooke. Cooke, who serves on the group’s Board of Directors, teaches classes at NewSchool and the University of California, San Diego on the topic of neuroscience and architecture.