Dr. Nadim Adi
Dr. Nadim Adi is a designer, researcher, and founder working at the intersection of dementia-inclusive design, artificial intelligence, and health innovation. He is the founder of NuroNest, a company developing AI and computer-vision tools to visually assess indoor spaces and identify environmental features that may increase risk for people living with dementia and other aging-related challenges. Adi also serves as an Assistant Professor of Instruction in Interior Design at Texas State University.
NuroNest began with a simple question: could we use AI to help people see risks in the environments they care for every day? The answer we are working toward is not just a score or a list of problems. It is a clearer path for families and care teams to make small, meaningful changes that support independence, dignity, and safety.
NuroNest
Falls, disorientation, and preventable accidents are often shaped by the built environment. Yet families, caregivers, and care providers may not know what to look for or how to translate broad design guidance into concrete changes in a specific home or facility. NuroNest is seeking to bridge that gap: users upload photos of a space, and the platform flags potential risks and provides plain-language, actionable recommendations.
The early prototype can assess features such as signage height and legibility, contrast between furniture and walls, and dark floor areas that can be misinterpreted as holes or obstacles. The team is expanding the work toward high-priority bathroom, stair, and handrail safety features. The goal is not to replace professional judgment, but to make evidence-informed environmental guidance more accessible at the moment it is needed.
NuroNest grew from Adi’s longstanding research at the intersection of interior design, environmental psychology, aging, and virtual environments. With support from Texas State’s innovation ecosystem, including the BobCatalyst Innovation Accelerator Program, the company has tested assumptions and validated the problem they are seeking to solve directly with prospective users. With this data, they have refined the innovation from an initial facility-focused concept toward a model that can serve both families at home and organizations that support older adults.
The company has also gained momentum beyond campus. Adi has conducted more than 100 customer-discovery interviews with caregivers, clinicians, senior-living stakeholders, designers, and other prospective users. NuroNest has engaged external collaborators and advisors, including clinical and aging-care partners. Adi was also a part of a Texas State contingency that presented 25 innovations at the TechConnect World Innovation Conference & Expo 2026; helping make Texas State’s efforts on the most diverse and extensive showings by any participating university. The project has also been featured in conversations with national and international innovation networks, including the NSF National Innovation Convening and prospective senior-living technology partners.
NuroNest is currently advancing from prototype toward pilot testing while Texas State pursues intellectual property protection and commercialization pathways for the technology. For Adi, the work represents a broader vision for how design research can move from insight to impact, and become an independent, scalable venture that brings together interior design, AI, and health innovation to improve daily life for people living with dementia and those who care for them.