Fiona Smyth

Fiona Smyth is an Assistant Professor in Architectural History and Theory at the Department of Architecture, University of Cambridge. Her research bridges the history of architecture and the history of science, focusing on environmental design, sound studies, and the history of ideas. She employs archival research, fieldwork, and iconography to explore interdisciplinary intersections between musical and architectural concepts.

Her notable research projects include the ERC Starting Grant-funded Spectres & Camouflage: The Sound of Silence and a Marie Sklodowska Curie Global Fellowship for Science as Applied to Building. These projects examine how scientific developments in acoustics influenced 20th-century architectural design and environmental practices.

She has published in leading journals such as Architectural History, Journal of Construction History, and Frontiers in Environmental Science, with chapters in publications by the Orpheus Institute and Centro Studi Opera Omnia Luigi Boccherini. Her work has been recognized with multiple awards, including the Newman Medal, Stanley Smith Prize, and Hawksmoor Medal.

Scientific Awards:

• Newman Medal for Architectural Acoustics
• Stanley Smith Prize for Construction History
• Hawksmoor Medal for Architectural History

Smyth advocates for equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in education and highlights historically overlooked voices in architectural and acoustic history. Her research has received funding from European, British, Irish, and US institutions, including the European Commission and the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art.