Dr. Raymond Okonkwo

Biography

A former architect who became disillusioned with buildings that ignored how people actually behave in space, Dr. Okonkwo now studies the unwritten rules of physical distance. His paper 'The Urinal Problem: A Game-Theoretic Analysis' was rejected by fourteen journals before becoming our most-cited work. He holds degrees from the Architectural Association London and Cambridge, and once spent three months sitting in airport terminals taking notes.

Research Interests

• Proxemic anxiety in public spaces
• Unwritten rules of elevator positioning
• Game-theoretic models of spatial negotiation
• The architecture of awkwardness
• Personal space violations and recovery behaviors

Selected Publications

• The Urinal Problem: A Game-Theoretic Analysis of Spatial Selection Under Social Constraint
• Elevator Positioning Dynamics: A 47-Country Study
• Why We Walk the Long Way: Anxiety-Driven Path Selection in Shared Spaces
• The Empty Seat Next to You: Statistical Analysis of Public Transit Spacing Preferences
• Designing for Discomfort: An Architectural Critique of Proxemic Negligence

Education

• Ph.D., Environmental Psychology University of Cambridge, 2008
• M.Arch., Architecture Architectural Association London, 2003
• B.Arch., Architecture University of Lagos, 2000