Her practice centers on designing intuitive, resilient systems, whether organizational, digital, or material, that enhance human wellbeing and strengthen our relationship with the natural world.

With foundations in scientific research and a lifelong commitment to creative exploration, Makaya’s work bridges the logic of engineering with the sensibility of design. She believes the future belongs to generalists who can translate across disciplines: biology into material innovation, data into strategy, and human behavior into product ecosystems that actually work. Her projects emphasize adaptability, cyclicality, and the interplay between people, tools, and environments.

At the core of her philosophy is a simple idea: functional beauty - solutions that are technically rigorous, emotionally resonant, and ecologically attuned. She designs with an eye toward long-term systems thinking, crafting work that is not only effective today but capable of evolving with shifting environments, technologies, and cultures.

Her work has been exhibited at Techstars, ClockShop LA, AltaSea, and Forecast Foundation, and she has collaborated with organizations including AltaSeads Conservancy, Homeboy Industries, Homeboy Recycling, Homeboy Threads, Keck Hospital, Keck Medicine of USC, USC Architecture, USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy, USC Landscape Futures Lab, USC Office of Research and Innovation, and USC Visions and Voices.