Find Academic Supervisors

Mauricio Soto-RubioView profile

Associate Professor

• Innovative construction materials
• Climate change adaptation
• Affordable housing
• +3 more

Mauricio Soto-Rubio is an Associate Professor at the University of Calgary's School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape (SAPL). He leads the Building Construction Innovation Group (BCI Group), focusing on interdisciplinary research in sustainable building technologies, material science, and socially responsible design. His work emphasizes affordable housing, biogenic materials, and climate change adaptation, bridging architecture with environmental and social equity. Education: Master of Architecture (MArch), University of Michigan, 2003 Bachelor of Architecture (BArch Cum Laude), Universidad de los Andes, 1999 Research interests include innovative construction materials, modular systems, and community participation in design. He teaches courses on structural systems, building technologies, and design studios addressing global challenges like housing inequality and climate resilience. Mauricio actively engages in initiatives such as the UCalgary Latin American Working Group and fosters international academic exchange. His research combines technical innovation with social justice, advocating for environmentally sustainable solutions that serve underrepresented communities. Collaborations span architecture, engineering, and environmental studies, contributing to academic discourse and practical applications in urban development.

Tzu-Ying ChenView profile

Researcher

• Fiber Composite Structures
• Hybrid Timber-Composite Systems
• Computational Design
• +3 more

Tzu-Ying Chen is a doctoral researcher at the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) within the University of Stuttgart , affiliated with the Cluster of Excellence IntCDC . Her work bridges computational design with material innovation in architectural engineering. Education: Master of Science (M.Sc.) Research Interests: Focus on advanced fiber composite systems, hybrid FRP-timber elements, and deployable structures using natural materials like bamboo. Core themes include: Computational optimization of structural geometries Integration of traditional craft with digital modeling Material-specific structural performance enhancement Multi-layered system deployment mechanics Publication Trends: Recent work explores bending-active principles for lightweight structures, with emphasis on woven bamboo systems (BamX Pavilion) and resource-efficient timber joints. Research demonstrates synergy between physics-based simulations and equilibrium-driven design. Projects: Key contributions to IntCDC Research Project 11-1 (long-span fiber composites) and 11-2 (hybrid timber materials), plus demonstrator-scale realizations like the ITECH Campus Lab and BamX Pavilion .

Gabriel TangView profile

Senior Lecturer

• Deployable Gridshells
• Concrete Shell Construction
• Sustainable Architecture
• +4 more

Dr Gabriel Tang is a Senior Lecturer in Architecture at Sheffield Hallam University, UK. He holds a PhD from the University of Edinburgh (2010) on deployable gridshells as concrete formwork and trained at the Bartlett, UCL. His research focuses on architecture-structure synergies, sustainable design, and deployable systems for disaster relief. He has worked at Foster + Partners on projects like the McLaren Group Headquarters and the Leslie L Dan Pharmacy Building. Teaching includes construction technology, design studios, and leading the MScTA's Concept and Design module. He has supervised 7 master's theses and won student-voted Inspirational Tutor awards. His students excel in competitions like RIBA White Rose Awards and IABSE Design Awards. Research activities include keynote speeches at international conferences (e.g., Nanjing Southeast University, 2016), co-authoring Timber Gridshells: Architecture, Structure and Craft (Routledge, 2016), and peer-review roles for journals like Journal of Architectural Engineering . He is a member of the International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures (IASS) and chairs Working Group 12 on Timber and Bio-based Structures. Professional memberships include the Architects Registration Board (ARB) and Higher Education Academy (HEA). He advises on consultancy projects and accepts PhD supervision in architecture, structures, and engineering.

Andrew Sageman-FurnasView profile

Assistant Professor

• Global surface theory
• Isometric deformations of surfaces
• Discrete differential geometry
• +3 more

Andrew Sageman-Furnas is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics at North Carolina State University, part of the College of Sciences. His research focuses on global surface theory, discrete differential geometry, and computational fabrication with applications to polymer networks and textile mechanics. Education: PhD in Mathematical Sciences from the University of Göttingen (2017) His research spans isometric deformations of surfaces, integrable systems, and topology-driven mechanics. Notable contributions include studies on skew parallelogram nets, Bonnet pairs, and elastic gridshell form-finding. His work bridges pure mathematics with practical applications in materials science and engineering. Key publication themes include discrete geometry, topological effects in spring networks, and computational methods for fabricating complex structures. He collaborates with the Topology, Geometry and Mathematical Physics research group at NC State. No scientific awards are explicitly listed, though his active research profile suggests ongoing recognition opportunities. He currently advises no listed students but may supervise through his research groups.

Mark PaulyView profile

Professor

• Geometric Computing
• Geometry Processing
• Digital Fabrication
• +7 more

Mark Pauly is a Full Professor at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) School of Computer and Communication Sciences, where he directs the Geometric Computing Laboratory (GCM). His research focuses on computational design, geometry processing, and digital fabrication of material systems through efficient algorithms and mathematical abstractions. Education: PhD (ETH Zurich, 2003), MS (TU Kaiserslautern, 1999) Research spans geometric computing, deployable structures, programmable materials , and human performance capture , with applications in architecture, soft robotics, and digital fabrication. Recent publications emphasize inverse design of surface-based inflatables, flexible microstructures, and curved beam assemblies. Scientific contributions include 2016 Eurographics Outstanding Technical Contributions Award , 2010 ERC Starting Grant , and 2023 ACM SIGGRAPH Asia Best Paper Award Honorable Mention Co-founded EPFL spin-offs: Faceshift AG (real-time facial animation) and Rayform SA (computational caustic design) His work integrates mathematics, computer science, and materials engineering to solve geometric inverse problems. Articles show increasing focus on auxetic materials , elastic mechanisms , and computational design for advanced manufacturing .

Yingying (Samara) RenView profile

Assistant Professor

• Digital Fabrication
• Physics-Based Simulation
• Inverse Design Optimization
• +3 more

Yingying (Samara) Ren is an Assistant Professor in Computer Science at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), leading the Geometric Computing and Digital Fabrication group. Her research focuses on digital fabrication, physics-based simulation, and computational inverse design, with applications in medical devices, architecture, and soft robotics. She holds a PhD from EPFL (2019–2024) and dual BS degrees in Mathematics and Computer Science from UIUC (2015–2019). Her work explores novel structures and materials through geometric reasoning and numerical methods. Notable projects include Tensors (tensegrity structures with elastic rods), C-shells (deployable gridshells), and Umbrella Meshes (freeform deployable mechanisms). Recent contributions span inflatable structures, elastic knots, and weaving-based architectural systems. Ren’s research integrates computational design, material science, and advanced manufacturing. She has published in top venues like ACM Transactions on Graphics and SIGGRAPH, focusing on deployable systems, elastic mechanics, and inverse design. Her lab emphasizes practical fabrication, with prototypes ranging from small-scale elastic knots to large architectural pavilions.

Yanan GuoView profile

Researcher

• Computational Design
• Fiber-Reinforced Polymers
• Structural Optimization
• +3 more

Yanan Guo is a Doctoral Researcher and Research Associate at the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) within the Cluster of Excellence IntCDC at the University of Stuttgart. Their work focuses on computational design, structural optimization, and sustainable architecture, particularly through the use of fiber-reinforced polymers and innovative fabrication techniques like coreless filament winding. Education: M.Sc. Research Interests: Yanan Guo specializes in computational co-design frameworks for fiber composite building systems, mechanical modeling of segmented shells, and sustainable material applications in architecture. Their projects emphasize the integration of simulation, fabrication, and data analysis to optimize structural performance and material efficiency. Key Projects: IntCDC Research Project 13-1: Transient Form Finding and Mechanical Modeling of Segmented Fibre Composite Shells IntCDC Research Project 12-2: Computational Co-Design Framework for Fibre Composite Building Systems BamX! Pavilion (EPFL, 2022): Bamboo woven deployable structures LivMatS Pavilion: Natural fiber filament-wound composites Publications: Yanan Guo's work explores active-bending structures with natural fiber profiles, fiber layup optimization using lamination parameters, and computational co-design for coreless wound composites. Their research demonstrates how data-driven workflows can enhance architectural innovation through material-fabrication synergy.

Evgenia SpyridonosView profile

Researcher

• Sustainable Architecture
• Biocomposite Materials
• Computational Design
• +6 more

Evgenia Spyridonos is a Doctoral Researcher and Research Associate at the University of Stuttgart’s Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE), affiliated with the Cluster of Excellence IntCDC. Her work focuses on biocomposite materials for sustainable architectural applications. Current projects: RP 6-1 Biocomposite Façade Panels, AP9 LeichtPRO Key research areas: Computational design, digital fabrication, active-bending structures, tensegrity systems Teaching involvement: Material Matter Lab seminars, design projects on biocomposites Her research explores the integration of natural fibres (flax, hemp) and bio-based resins into structural systems using pultrusion, 3D printing, and tailored fibre placement. Case studies include large-scale demonstrators like the LightPRO Shell and deployable furniture. Publications highlight mechanical testing, computational optimization, and scalability of biocomposite systems, with recent works in Case Studies in Construction Materials , Designs , and Buildings journal. Current efforts focus on frameworks for industrial production and architectural-scale implementations.