MFA, Games & Interactive Media, American University (2026)
BA, Information Technology & Informatics, minor in Social Justice, Rutgers University - New Brunswick
(2022)
Experience
Founder & Lead Designer of Lichen Labs (Current)
Instructor, GameU (Current)
Instructor, Anacostia Youth Media (2024 - 2026)
Staff Assistant Intern, Serious Games Initiative, The Wilson Center (2024)
Museum Experience Associate & Exhibits Intern, National Children's Museum (2022 - 2023)
PLEN Intern, New Jersey Division on Women (2019)
DREAM Mentor, Mercer County Community College (2018 - 2019)
Service & Leadership
Juror, G4C Student Challenge (2026)
Arcade Docent, Games for Change Conference (2025)
Co-founder and VP, Rutgers Women's Gaming League (2020 - 2022)
President, Reproductive Health Universal Taskforce (prev. Douglass Friends of UNFPA) (2019 - 2022)
Research & Writing
Overcoming Fears: Balancing Sublime & Contained Monstrosity in Fleshwalk’s Creature Design (May
2026) Read here →
Game Design as Expression of Self: A Typology (December 2024)
Read here
→
Innovating How We Innovate: The Triple Helix of University-Industry-Government Relation (October 2024)
By Bolu Adesanmi, Kristen Marcinek, and Elizabeth M H Newbury Read here →
The Plastic Pipeline Wins Big at Serious Game Festivals (August 2024)
By Kristen Marcinek, Sonja R. O’Brien, Elizabeth M H Newbury, and John Matuszewski Read here →
Games Round Up: International Trade (July 2024)
By Kristen Marcinek and Elizabeth M H Newbury Read
here →
Empowering Participation in Science: A Citizen Science Landscape (June 2024)
By Kristen Marcinek and Joyce Chen Read here →
Teaching & Speaking
The Plastic Pipeline Curriculum Alignment
Crafted learning objectives and curriculum instruction for K12 instructors about The Wilson Center
produced game The Plastic Pipeline. Learn more
→
Unity for Creatives
Presentation given to film students about game engines and real-time graphics in filmmaking.
American University, 2026. Learn more
→
School of Communication: Masters in Game Design Student Led Webinar
Invited to lead a webinar on the graduate games programs at American University.
Virtual, 2025.
How to Design a Game
Workshop introducing youth to game design concepts and practices in Construct 3.
Anacostia Youth
Media Festival, 2024. Learn more
→
Using Game Design Principles to Level Up Computational Art
Lecture exploring how ludology can be applied to p5.js to foster interactivity in computational art.
Virtual Creative Coding Fest, 2024. Learn more
→
Games are for Everybody: The Zine
Zine supplementing the Maker Talk with resources discussed. Learn more
→
Maker Talk: Games are for Everybody
Presentation breaking down the basics of video game creation and providing resources for those just
starting out in game design. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 2024. Learn more
→
Exhibitions
Fleshwalk: An Experience, Trenton Charity Comic-Con, Trenton, NJ (June 2026)
Fleshwalk: An Experience, Cherry Blossom Arcade, Washington, DC (April 2026)
Fleshwalk: An Experience, Fantom Comics Halloween Party, Dupont Underground, Washington, DC
(October 2025)
Fleshwalk: An Experience, District Arcade, Washington, DC (October 2025)
Fleshwalk: An Experience, Fantom Comics, Washington, DC (August 2025)
Fleshwalk: An Experience, Creepella’s After Dark, Burlington, NJ (July 2025)
Fleshwalk: An Experience, The Enfleshment, Grace Exhibition Space, New York, NY (June 2025)
Fleshwalk: An Experience, HanaCon, Silver Spring, MD (June 2025)
Fleshwalk: An Experience, Awesome Con, Washington, DC (April 2025)
Souls in Symbiosis, The STEAM Engine, Rhizome DC, Takoma, MD (November 2024)
Awards & Nominations
Nominee, Best in Digital Image Manipulation, Karasu Concept Art Series, AU Visions Awards (2026)
Winner, Best use of: Too Late & Best use of: Apocalypse, After the Flood, Apocalypse Jam (2022)
Winner, Douglass Prize - For Women, By Women, loanWolf, HackHERS (2020)