Cuningham Appoints Amy Frye as National Research Director
Cuningham is pleased to announce the appointment of Amy Frye as its National Research Director, underscoring the firm’s commitment to embedding rigorous research into every aspect of the design process.
With over 15 years of experience at the intersection of strategy, research, and experience design, Frye brings to Cuningham a passion for driving innovation and aligning design thinking with complex business and user needs. Her track record of translating human-centered research efforts into transformative design outcomes positions her to work closely with Cuningham’s project teams to embed insights into project work while scaling internal research capacity.
“We couldn’t be more honored to have Amy leading the firm’s research platform,” Cuningham CEO Nathan Harris said. “Amy brings a rare ability to translate research into strategy and design intelligence. Her leadership will further strengthen Cuningham’s ability to tackle complex challenges, drive innovation, and deliver unparalleled value for our clients.”
Frye joins Cuningham from Arcadis, where she served as Global Human-Centric Research Director, leading human-centered research initiatives and organizational transformations for clients worldwide across a wide array of market sectors. As Cuningham’s National Research Director, Frye will lead the firm’s cross-disciplinary research strategy, guiding a platform that aligns strategic growth areas and emerging industry trends to strengthen client outcomes and increase value across all of Cuningham’s market sectors.
“Embedding rigorous, research-backed insights into every stage of the design process is crucial to delivering strategic, evidence-based solutions.”
Amy Frye
Cuningham National Research Director
“Research is not separate from design—it is essential to it,” Frye said. “I’m excited to join a firm that believes human-centered research is the foundation of design excellence and is committed to strengthening communities through transformative environments.”
A prolific thought leader, Frye holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Minnesota and has contributed to over 50 peer-reviewed publications and industry reports and more than 30 speaking engagements on topics ranging from combining the power of digital and human innovation to improving patient experience and organizational performance through design. Her nationally recognized work rooted in evidence-based design integrates methodologies including field studies, stakeholder engagement, and survey design to gather rich qualitative and quantitative data to understand people and places.
“Embedding rigorous, research-backed insights into every stage of the design process is crucial to delivering strategic, evidence-based solutions,” Frye said. “I look forward to leading a Cuningham team that asks bold questions and continuously seeks to improve how we create value for our clients and communities.”
Research at Cuningham
At Cuningham, we believe that human-centered research is the foundation of design excellence, that drives innovation and transformative outcomes across diverse sectors. By embedding a rigorous, cross-disciplinary research agenda into our design process, we uncover deep insights into human behaviors, cultural contexts, and industry-specific needs, enabling our designs to inspire, connect, and deliver measurable value.
Our approach integrates multiple methodologies, including ethnography, survey design, contextual inquiry, and formative and validation studies to gather rich qualitative and quantitative data to discover the stories behind people and places. This evidence-based foundation, combined with competitive benchmarking, future-focused market and client-specific data, informs actionable design strategies that align business goals with project vision. Our commitment to data-driven building performance, including carbon/energy modeling and life cycle analyses, ensures accountability to environmental and social values. By aligning creativity with strategic goals, we create transformative built environments that strengthen communities and reflect our dedication to empathy, collaboration, and lasting value.