Alla Vronskaya

Prof. Dr. Alla Vronskaya is a Professor of History and Theory of Architecture at the University of Kassel. She specializes in the theoretical history of modern architecture in the Soviet Union and other socialist countries, examining intersections between architecture, labor management, and the human sciences.

• Education: Ph.D. in History, Theory, and Criticism of Art and Architecture (MIT, 2014), Candidate of Arts and Sciences in Art History (State Institute of Art Research, Russian Academy of Sciences, 2007), Specialist in Philosophy (Moscow State University, 2004)

Her research explores Soviet modernism, architectural theory, and the impact of design on citizens and nature. She is completing her book Architecture of Life: Soviet Modernism and the Human Sciences (University of Minnesota Press, 2022) and serves as regional editor for the former Soviet Union in the Bloomsbury Global Encyclopedia of Women in Architecture.

Her recent work includes collaborations on Soviet landscape architecture, color theory, and postmodern reassessments of constructivism. She has held fellowships at the Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton), Getty Research Institute, and Dumbarton Oaks.

• Scientific Awards:
  • Institute for Advanced Study, Herodotus Fund (2019/2020)
  • Swiss Government Excellence Fellowship (2012/2013)
  • Getty Pre-doctoral Fellowship (2012/2013)
  • MIT Presidential Fellowship (2007)

She has taught at the Illinois Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich, and MIT, and currently advises Ph.D. and graduate students. Her service includes organizing panels at the Society of Architectural Historians and College Art Association conferences.