Architecture and Planning Institute announces faculty members receiving promotions in academic rankings for the year 2025
The MIT School of Architecture and Planning (SA+P) has announced the promotion of seven faculty members, effective July 1, 2023. These esteemed scholars represent the school at its best in its breadth of inquiry and mission to improve the relationship between human beings and their environments.
Carlo Ratti, the curator of the 2025 Venice Biennale's 19th International Architecture Exhibition, has been reappointed as professor of the practice in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP). Ratti is also the director of the Senseable City Lab and a founding partner of the international design office Carlo Ratti Associati. His innovative projects, such as the Digital Water Pavilion and the Copenhagen Wheel, have earned him international acclaim, including being named among TIME Magazine's "Best Inventions of the Year."
In the Department of Architecture, three faculty members have been promoted. Rafi Segal, an award-winning designer, has been promoted to full professor. Segal's diverse portfolio includes projects ranging from Villa 003 in the ORDOS 100 series to the Kitgum Peace Museum in Uganda. Segal is currently planning a new communal neighborhood for an Israeli kibbutz. Marcelo Coelho, the director of the Design Intelligence Lab, has been promoted to associate professor of the practice. Coelho's research explores the intersection of human and machine intelligence across design, AI, and fabrication. Holly Samuelson, who has co-authored over 40 peer-reviewed papers and won a Best Paper award from the journal Energy and Building, has been promoted to associate professor without tenure.
In the Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP), Albert Saiz has been promoted to full professor, and Delia Wendel has been promoted to associate professor without tenure. Saiz, who serves as the director of MIT's Urban Economics Lab, contributes to the broader research community as a visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and a research fellow at the Institute for the Analysis of Labor. Wendel's research engages three main areas: forms of community repair after conflict and disaster, African urbanism, and spatial politics.
Finally, Deblina Sarkar, the director of the Nano-Cybernetic Biotrek Lab at the MIT Media Lab, has been promoted to associate professor without tenure in the Program in Media Arts and Sciences. Sarkar merges nanoelectronics, physics, and biology to create groundbreaking technologies.
The SA+P Dean, Hashim Sarkis, expressed his excitement about the faculty promotions, stating, "These faculty members represent the school at its best in its breadth of inquiry and mission to improve the relationship between human beings and their environments." The school's focus areas include architecture, urban studies and planning, media arts and sciences, and more, indicating a broad scope of research interests. For a comprehensive understanding of the promoted faculty members' work and achievements, it is best to refer to the MIT news article or the school's official announcements.
- The promotion of Deblina Sarkar to associate professor without tenure in the Program in Media Arts and Sciences at SA+P showcases her expertise in the intersection of nanoelectronics, physics, and biology.
- In the Department of Architecture, Rafi Segal, an award-winning designer, has been promoted to full professor, with a diversified portfolio that spans from ORDOS 193 to the Kitgum Peace Museum.
- As the director of the Design Intelligence Lab, Marcelo Coelho, promoted to associate professor of the practice, explores the intersection of human and machine intelligence across design, AI, and fabrication.
- Holly Samuelson, promoted to associate professor without tenure, has co-authored over 40 peer-reviewed papers and won a Best Paper award from the journal Energy and Building.
- Albert Saiz, contributing to the broader research community as a visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and a research fellow at the Institute for the Analysis of Labor, has been promoted to full professor in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP).
- Delia Wendel, promoted to associate professor without tenure, conducts research focused on forms of community repair after conflict and disaster, African urbanism, and spatial politics.
- The MIT School of Architecture and Planning (SA+P) has announced the promotion of seven faculty members, with a mission to improve the relationship between human beings and their environments, extending to various fields like computing, energy, and mental health.
- The Public Health department at SA+P could collaborate with these researchers, as their findings could contribute significantly to the field, according to recent research intertwining health outcomes and urban planning.
- Nanotech and quantum computing could enhance environmental science research, leading to innovative solutions for energy conservation and efficient waste disposal.
- Mental health and technology are not mutually exclusive concepts; emerging tech advancements might assist in identifying symptoms or aiding mental health treatment, as psychology and computer science are increasingly intertwined.
- The promotion of faculty members at SA+P highlights the school's commitment to quality research in technology and science education, fostering an environment conducive to innovation, patents, and breakthroughs fueled by curiosity, self-development, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
