Karen Arzate Quintanilla

Karen Arzate Quintanilla is a Postgraduate Researcher at the University of Leeds in the School of Civil Engineering.

After completing her study of a Masters degree in Barcelona, Karen came to Leeds to visit a friend – who highly recommended the University of Leeds as a study destination. Knowing she wanted to pursue a PhD, Karen began talking to former students to gauge potential interest in her research topic.  

Further investigation confirmed Leeds as the best place to continue Karen’s studies. Her PhD examines the connections between physical space and a sense of belonging amongst undergraduate students in higher education environments. 

I consider my research on a deeply personal level; I am concerned about my country's development and I wish someday to contribute to the architectural implications of higher education in Mexico. 

 

“I’ve been working on the topic of Architecture and Education since 2015 when I started my undergraduate dissertation”, said Karen. “I consider my research on a deeply personal level; I am concerned about my country's development and I wish someday to contribute to the architectural implications of higher education in Mexico. 

“I would like to provide a guideline of how to improve educational spaces considering student's sense of belonging and wellbeing as a priority within HEIs (Higher Education Institutions). Hopefully, people involved in the decision-making processes will take account of architecture as a key factor in the teaching and learning process.” 

The research process 

Karen is a member of the Architecture & Urbanism Research Group at the School of Civil Engineering, which has greatly helped to improve her sense of belonging within Leeds. It has given her a space for discussion and learning with her peers, and provided a high level of support. This is because the cohort keeps growing and bringing in students at different stages of their PhD. 

“My research has been conducted by a mixed-method approach; through interviews I have talked to students about how to improve their spaces for learning”, said Karen. “In addition, we did a mapping activity in the case study so architectural students could draw their experiences in these spaces. Lastly, a survey was launched where we retrieved 700 participants. 

 

“My supervisors have been essential through my PhD; I have grown and developed as a researcher because they have pushed me to do better in everything I do. Having two supervisors whose research background is different was tough at first. However, I have learned to make the most of it, to work independently and to choose the right path for the research. 

“Every year has been different, and my relationship with my supervision team has been changing and adapting. I feel very supported since I have things in common with both of them; we are all concerned about the future of education, and thinking of new ways of supporting future students and educational experiences.” 

My supervisors have been essential through my PhD; I have grown and developed as a researcher because they have pushed me to do better in everything I do.

Going forward 

Karen is keen to pursue research in the future, even if what it will look like is unclear. “I would like to keep doing research, and teaching has always been something I’m really passionate about. I am not sure what is coming after my PhD, but I feel confident I can find good opportunities to keep engaging with architecture and education in different ways.”   

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