Rebekah Radtke, M.Arch

Associate Professor

Rebekah Radtke is an Associate Professor in the School of Interiors at the University of Kentucky College of Design. She is a University Research Professor (2024) and a Chellgren Endowed Professor (2023-2026). She received her Bachelor of Arts in Interior Design at UK and Master of Architecture from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Radtke joined UK as an Instructor in 2011 and Assistant Professor in 2013.

Radtke’s research investigates design pathways exploring sustainable climatic futures in the post-mining territories of Appalachia. She uses community-centric co-design processes in support of climate-responsive communities in Southeastern Kentucky and communities worldwide. The impacts of her work are through international partnership development and research collaborations in post-extraction territories.

Radtke collaboratively founded Global x Appalachia and Studio Appalachia to lead these endeavors which have been grant funded from entities including the National Endowment for the Arts, chronicled in articles, book chapters, and presented locally and internationally. Her collaborative work more broadly includes pedagogical projects in China, design-build projects in Brazil, sustainability research in South Africa, community-activated interventions in Southeastern Kentucky and experiential learning design initiatives in Lexington, Ky. Her scholarship seeks to build transformative connections through impactful collaborations and bring interior design principles to a broader audience.