Kijeong Jeon
Kijeong Jeon is a Professor and Interior Architecture Program Coordinator in the Department of Art and Art History at California State University, Chico. He teaches a broad range of courses, from foundational technical interior architecture classes to the upper-level capstone design studio.
Prior to joining CSU Chico, Jeon spent ten years in San Francisco working as an environmental designer, where he developed branded environments for major U.S. corporations. His professional work received numerous design awards and recognitions, including Critiq Magazine’s Annual Design Award in the Environmental Design category. He has also taught in the Interior Design programs at Virginia Commonwealth University, UC Berkeley, and California College of the Arts.
His research and design practice focus on the built environment and its impact on mood, behavior, and well-being—particularly for individuals with cognitive impairments and autism spectrum disorder. Jeon has designed several multi-sensory and autism-supportive environments, including sensory room designs for Incheon International Airport (ICN) in South Korea and the Far Northern California Regional Center (FNCR) in Redding, California, the COVE Autism Day Program Center and COVE 2 in Paradise; SOAR in Chico, the Sankansha Autism Center in Amami Oshima, Japan.
Jeon has received multiple grants supporting his research on autism and environmental design, including the Special Projects Grant from the Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC) and the CSU Chico Research Foundation Scholars Award. His scholarship has been widely recognized. In 2025, he was awarded “Outstanding Paper” by the Korean Housing Association for the co-authored study, “A Study of University Well-Being Space to Support Students’ Mental Health,” published in the Korean Housing Association Journal. In 2020, he was listed in the Encyclopedia of Creativity (Volume 3) in the Interior Design category for his work on intrinsic motivation and human well-being.
Through his teaching, research, and professional practice, Jeon advances evidence-based interior architecture that promotes inclusion, well-being, and meaningful human experience in the built environment.