Biography

Denise is Research Associate at the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities (LKYCIC). Her research interests are user-centred approaches to understanding the perception of spaces and developing tools for urban planning. Prior to joining LKYCIC, she conducted research at Future Cities Laboratory Global (FCL G) on topics including food urbanism in Monsoon Asia, as well as participatory planning practices and tools. She is also interested in applied research and has led several capacity-building workshops to empower practitioners and students in applying these methods. In addition, Denise brings professional experience from having practiced in landscape architecture, computational design, and urban design. She has worked in interdisciplinary teams, as well as experiences in project management and research dissemination. 

She is supporting Sam and team on “Understanding Impact of Urban Design on Public Space User Perception and Behaviour” project. 

Education

• Master of Architecture (MArch), Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), Singapore (2019) 

• Bachelor of Science (Architecture and Sustainable Design, ASD), Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), Singapore (2018) 

 Publications

• Lee, D. H., Vargas, J., Syariffudin, E. (2026). Mapping the Everyday. ETH Zürich Research Collection.

• Lee, D. H., Vargas, J., Syariffudin, E., Mangal, N. (2025). Participate with Data. ETH Zürich Research Collection.

Conference presentations/proceedings 

• Lee, D. H., Vargas, J., Wong, M. L., Adelia, A. S. (2025, Dec). Synergies Across Planning Tools: A Workflow For Data-driven Co-design For Heat Mitigation In ASEAN. Singapore Scientific Conference (SSC), organised by Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). (Poster presenter)
• Lee, D. H., Vargas, J., Syariffudin, E., Mangal, N., Biswas, P. S. & Samsudin, R. (2025, Jul). Across literature and practice: Opportunities and barriers of integrating digital participatory planning tools in the participatory planning process. International Forum for Urbanism (IFoU), organised by International Forum on Urbanism (IFoU). (Presenter)

Research areas

• Urbanism
• Participatory planning