N J Unaka is the co-founder of ReThink Factory - a do-tank dedicated to ecologically sensitive design, social justice, and appropriate technology. He holds a Ph.D. in Architecture from University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, a professional Masters of Architecture from Boston Architectural College, and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. During his professional architecture career, he has worked on a variety of projects; including schools, office buildings, libraries, and hospitals, among other building types at architectural firms in Boston, New York, and Milwaukee. These projects have been across the Americas, Africa and elsewhere.

He has taught at middle school and high school levels in Boston and in the Bahamas. He was an adjunct lecturer in architecture at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, where he taught a core technology course, an ecological design ethics seminar, and design studios. He originated and led the Cape Verde study abroad program. He is an adjunct professor at Wentworth Institute of Technology, where he teaches design studios, technology courses, and an ecological design ethics seminar.

His research interests are in the intersections of ecologically sensitive solutions with community participation, design and implementation – especially how education can be a catalyst for such interactions. He has a passion for appropriate technology use in low-income areas around the globe - including in informal settlements.