A Note from Sedef Doganer, Dean of the Wentworth School of Architecture and Design  

Dear friends of the Wentworth School of Architecture and Design, 

As we look back on the 2024-25 academic year, I would first like to extend a warm congratulations to all our 2025 graduates. We are confident that they will shape the future of design, responding to global challenges and contributing to local communities.    

As we begin the 2025-26 academic year, I am pleased to share some reflections from the past year at the School of Architecture and Design.  

Promotions: 

We are particularly proud that we have had two faculty members receive promotions this past year:  

• Sylvia DeLuca, promoted to the rank of associate professor of Interior Design
• NJ Unaka, promoted to the rank of associate professor of Architecture 

New Hires: 

We are excited to welcome three new members to the SoAD team:  

• Katarina Richter-Lunn was hired as an assistant professor of Industrial Design. She is a designer and creative technologist who recently completed a doctorate at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Her interdisciplinary research, situated at the intersection of design, psychology, and physiology, is dedicated to promoting well-being through the built environment.
• Anas Soufan was hired as a visiting assistant professor of Architecture. He is a scholar, artist, architect, and urban planner specializing in the management of historic towns and world heritage sites. His current focus is on the post-war recovery of historic towns and world heritage sites, examining the interconnections between urban and architectural design and the ethical, economic, and sociopolitical aspects of the recovery process.
• Emmanuel Osorno was hired as a visiting assistant professor of Architecture. He is an architect and educator based in Boston. He is the founder of EOS, a design and research practice that investigates the role of media in shaping perceptions of architecture, with a focus on representation, housing affordability, and placemaking. 

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School Highlights: 

• New Programs Launching Fall 2025: We welcomed our first cohort for the new Bachelor of Science in Building Sciences, in collaboration with the School of Management, and the Community-Engaged Design and Social Practice Graduate Certificate.
• Interior Design Accreditation: The Interior Design CIDA accreditation report and visit have concluded.
• Zero Energy Design Recognition: Our Bachelor of Science in Architecture program has achieved the U.S. Department of Energy’s Zero Energy Design Designation, making it the only program in Massachusetts to receive this honor.
• Design Lecture Series & Public Programming: The 2024–25 Design Lecture Series, “Design Imaginaries: From Fictions to Environments,” explored the designer’s role as a communicator and translator. The series featured artists, architects, designers, curators, and educators, demonstrating the power of ideas to transform lived experience. A film screening series was also launched as part of the public programming.
• Study Abroad: Interest in study abroad continues to grow, with 48 students participating in semester programs in Urbino/Italy, Girona/Spain, Berlin/Germany, and, new this year, Istanbul/Türkiye.
• Global Research Studio: Eighty-two graduate students in the Master of Architecture program participated in the Global Research Studio in Morocco, Japan, Norway, UAE, and Portugal.
• SHADE Collaboration: Wentworth Architecture students and professors Rob Trumbour and Eric Hughes partnered with Jeff Goldenson of Building Ways and the administrator of SHADE, a Cambridge-based teen-led organization, along with other community partners, to create a space for teens addressing isolation, help improve teen mental health, and provide a safe place to cool down in the summer at Sennott Park, Cambridge.
• SummerFAB ‘25: SoAD organizes SummerFAB, a four-week commuter summer program that introduces high school students to the built environment through interdisciplinary, project-based learning, in collaboration with Wentworth Pre-College Programs. Participants collaborate with Wentworth faculty and current architecture and design students to research, design, fabricate, and construct a full-scale, community-driven solution to local neighborhood challenges. This summer, students collaborated with Sociedad Latina and built a greenhouse for installation in the Tobin Center Community Garden.
• Extracurricular Workshops:
  • ID Senior AI Workshop: Explored AI applications in industrial design for senior students. 
  • Sketching Workshop: Engaged students in rapid sketching techniques and visual ideation. 
  • Watercolor Workshop: Introduced students to watercolor techniques for design illustration.
  • Adobe Photoshop Workshop: Provided hands-on training in Photoshop for creative design projects.
  • Train is Now Arriving (TINA) Spring Break Workshop: A dynamic design workshop held during spring break. 

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Student Highlights: 

• Affordable Housing Design Competition: Wentworth Master of Architecture students Charles Bale M.Arch. '25; Emma Perry M.Arch. '26; and Maddie Tirado M.Arch. '25, were part of an interdisciplinary team that won first place in the 25th Annual Affordable Housing Design and Development Competition, sponsored by the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston. This competition is part of the graduate Affordable Housing elective, taught by Associate Professor Jennifer Lee Michaliszyn.
• NOMA 2024 Conference Participation: Eight WITNOMAS student members attended the NOMA 2024 Conference in Baltimore, Md., participated in the annual design competition, and presented their project on the national stage.
• Emerging Technologies Parklet Project: Students in Associate Professor Rob Trumbour’s Emerging Technologies Concentration Studies designed and built a parklet, currently featured in the “In-Common: Sites of Encounter” exhibition at the Boston Society of Architects (BSA) space in downtown Boston.
• Solar Decathlon Participation: Students from Associate Professor Troy Peters’ Studio 08 presented their work at the revised Solar Decathlon event at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Denver, Colo., in April.
• New Landscapes Exhibit (Freedom by Design): Students showcased their work in the New Landscapes Exhibit, led by Meliti Dikeos.
• Design Intersections Event: The third annual Design Intersections event, organized by the Industrial Design Student Club, FRAUHAUS, led by seniors Ella Henson and Mackenzie Fry with faculty advisor Assistant Professor Liza Lynch, brought together students, alumni, design professionals, and faculty. Speakers included Hannah Oh, Design Strategist at Other Tomorrows, and Daniela García García, Industrial/UX Designer at Cherish Health.
• IDSA Student Merit Awards: Industrial Design students attended the IDSA Student Merit Awards event. During this event, Erin MacLean, BIND ’25, was recognized as a Student Merit Awards winner! Erin represented Wentworth in the IDSA Northeast District.
• AIAS Grassroots Conference Participation: Three Architecture students attended the 2025 AIAS Grassroots Conference in Washington, D.C.
• SoAD Dean’s Student Council Mixer: The inaugural Dean’s Student Council Mixer brought together students from Architecture, Interior Design, and Industrial Design programs for an evening of socializing, networking, and showcasing student work in the CEIS Lobby. 

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Faculty Highlights: 
 

In addition to numerous papers published in book chapters (Sylvia DeLuca, Tatjana Crossley, Mark Mulligan, Robert Cowherd, Ignacio Cardona, Aziza Cyamani) journals (Ignacio Cardona, Anne-Catrin Schultz, Elizabeth Cooper), exhibitions (Jeff Michael, Simon Williamson, Rob Meszaros, Liza Lynch, Carlos Villamil), community-engaged design-build projects (Rob Trumbour, Meliti Dikeos), and conferences (Lynette Panarelli, Lora Kim, NJ Unaka, John Ellis, Troy Peters, Garrick Goldenberg, Sylvia DeLuca, Seunghae Lee), SoAD faculty also received the following awards and recognition:  

• Troy Peters – 2024 Fellow of the American Solar Energy Society (ASES), recognizing exceptional leadership and impact in renewable energy technologies and sustainable energy practices.
• Carol Burns – SARA Award, Design Award of Merit & National Design Award for Public/Government Architecture; BSA Small Firms Award for Institutional and Cultural Facilities.
• Mark Klopfer – AIA/BSA Award, Unbuilt Planning and Design.
• Liza Lynch – NAA National Juried Exhibition, Newburyport Art, Newburyport, Mass. (Honorable Mention).
• Jennifer Lee Michaliszyn – Bistline Grant Summer 2025.
• Anthony Piermarini – AIA/BSA Award, Small Firm – Adaptive Reuse, Renovation or Historic Preservation; selected for the 2025 NCARB Scholars in Professional Practice program.
• Aaron Weinert – Wentworth Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Award at Presidential Achievement Awards.
• Ignacio Cardona – Mellon Foundation BEDAC Fellow; continued National Endowment for Democracy Grant (six webinars with 681 leaders across seven countries).
• Tatjana Crossley – Zero-Carbon Futures: AI-Driven Participatory Building Design selected for exhibition at La Biennale Di Venezia; Mellon Foundation BEDAC Fellow. 
• Shirine Boulos Anderson – exhibited at European Cultural Center during Venice Biennale.
• Seunghae Lee – Keynote speaker at an Interior Design Conference, Seoul, South Korea.
• Mark Pasnik – Interviewed by NBC Boston on Boston City Hall gaining landmark status; featured speaker at the kick-off of Historic Preservation Month and celebration to honor the landmark designation of the historic Boston City Hall.
• Stephanie Rufino – Presented lecture on her upcoming book Georgetown University, An Architectural History at Latrobe Chapter, Society of Architectural Historians, Washington, D.C. (book published by Georgetown University Press).
• Carlos Villamil – KEEN Faculty Development National Workshop on “Integrating Curriculum with Entrepreneurial Mindset.”
• Anne-Catrin Schultz – Appointed as Wentworth Faculty Fellow for Undergraduate Research.
• Anthony Piermarini & Ingrid Strong – Grants to attend Timber Faculty Development Workshop at Auburn University (May 28-30, 2025), relevant to Studio 05 mass timber project.
• Elizabeth Cooper, Stephanie Rufino, Chris Sledziona & Rob Trumbour – participated in the Wentworth Faculty and Staff Leadership Academy. 

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Partnerships and Outreach: 

• Design Material Fund: We hosted “Designing the Future: Diversity, Representation, and Innovation in Architecture and Design” in December 2024. The event aimed to underscore the importance of inclusive excellence within the architecture and design industry, highlighting the significance of the Design Materials Fund, a collaboration with DiMella Shaffer.
• BSA Awards Collaboration: Undergraduate and graduate students designed and fabricated trophies for the Boston Society of Architects (BSA) Awards Gala. 
• Design for Impact (DFI): Industrial Design students participated in Design for Impact, a multi-university collaboration including Clemson University, Virginia Tech, and Boston College, focused on the Stanford Center’s Longevity Design Challenge. Eight Wentworth students joined under the guidance of Professor Aziza Cyamani.
• Parla Design Collaboration: During their study-abroad program in Istanbul/Türkiye, third-year Industrial Design students collaborated with Bilgi University and Parla Design, and re-designed 55 Tofu coffee tables, producing eight full-scale, 1:1 models in three weeks, exploring themes of transparency, softness, shine, and pattern.
• ARCH Studio 06 Consultants’ Workshops: Hosted two highly successful consultants’ workshops, bringing together more than 30 professionals from engineering and architecture disciplines for two days of student project consultation on enclosure, environmental systems, landscape, lighting, and more.
• New Partnership in Urbanism Studio: Architecture students in Urbanism Studio, coordinated by Ignacio Cardona and in partnership with Perkins&Will, University of New Hampshire, and the Indigenous of New Hampshire Collaborative Collective, explored regenerative design and indigenous stewardship in campus planning.
• Industry Connections & Alumni Engagement: Hosted the AIA Conference Alumni Reception, fostering connections between students, alumni, and design professionals. 
• Dean’s Advisory Council: We have newly launched the SoAD Dean’s Advisory Council with a distinguished group of professionals, including:
  • Maria Aiolova, director of Global Innovation, SJ Group and co-founder of Terraform ONE
  • Yanel de Angel, managing director, Perkins+Will, Boston
  • Saloni Badi, industrial designer at LOFT, MIT researcher, and IDSA Boston chair
  • Ahmed Bukhash, director of Urban Planning, Dubai Development Authority; chief architect & founder, ARCHIDENTITY
  • Carla Gautier, founder & CEO, KONTi Design | Build Studio
  • Lois Goodell, principal & director of Interior Design, CBT Architects
  • Jeff Grantz, director of Creative Tech for DCL & founder of ILLUMINUS
  • Alex Nicolaides, owner, Scout Lighting
  • Amanda Vigneau, director at Shepley Bulfinch; VP for Advocacy, IIDA New England
  • Carole Wedge, principal, Heaths Bridge Coaching & Strategic Planning; former president & CEO, Shepley Bulfinch 

These highlights represent just a fraction of the creativity, innovation, and dedication within our school. I am deeply grateful to our faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community partners for their contributions in making this an extraordinary year. 

We look forward to another exciting year. We are welcoming 294 new first-year and transfer students and 90 graduate students, bringing our total student body to 966. We plan to launch our Community Design and Research Center and Industrial Design Mentorship Program led by Industrial Design alumni and Industry Professional Advisory Committee (IPAC) co-chairs, Haik Tokatlyan and Courteney DiDomenico. Finally, we are excited to host the ASCA 2025 Intersections Research Conference: AI Design Practices at Wentworth, co-chaired by Tatjana Crossley and Antonio Furgiuele, this September. 

Warmly,  

Sedef Doganer, Ph.D.  
Dean, School of Architecture and Design