Farès El-Dahdah

Farès El-Dahdah is a Professor of Art History at Rice University, where he also serves as the director of the Humanities Research Center (HRC). His academic journey spans multiple disciplines, with appointments in both the School of Architecture and School of Humanities. El-Dahdah is currently on leave but maintains active leadership roles including chair of the University Committee on Information Technology, Baker Institute Faculty Scholar, and Faculty Advisory Committee member for the Ken Kennedy Institute.

El-Dahdah's educational background includes:

• Doctor of Design Studies, Harvard University (1992)
• Master of Architecture in Urban Design, Harvard University (1989)
• Bachelor of Architecture, Rhode Island School of Design (1987)
• Bachelor of Fine Arts, Rhode Island School of Design (1986)

Professor El-Dahdah's research focuses on Architecture and Urbanism in Brazil and Digital Art History. His work critically examines how digital platforms can uphold knowledge dissemination missions while creating innovative geospatial tools. At his Spatial Studies Lab, he develops online platforms addressing cultural heritage, public health, social justice, disaster response, and climate change. His extensive scholarship on Brazil's modern architecture includes collaborations with Casa de Lucio Costa and Fundação Oscar Niemeyer, where he serves on their boards.

Analysis of El-Dahdah's recent publications reveals a strong focus on Brazilian urban development, particularly Rio de Janeiro's architectural history and landscape design. His work increasingly incorporates digital humanities approaches, with numerous geospatial projects documenting urban transformations. The publications demonstrate an interdisciplinary approach, bridging art history, urban studies, and digital mapping to explore how physical environments reflect cultural, political, and social dynamics across different historical periods.

Professor El-Dahdah has secured significant research funding through multiple prestigious grants:

• Rice University Race and Anti-Racism Research Fund (2020-22) for "Black Life in Houston: An Atlas of Racial Inequity, Displacement, and Integration"
• Getty Foundation Digital Art History Grant (2018-21) for "Situated Views of Rio de Janeiro"
• Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Grants for "Diluvial Houston" (2019-24), "Public Humanities/Post-Harvey" (2018-21), "Spatial Humanities Initiative" (2016-21), "Public Humanities Initiative" (2014-18), and the John E. Sawyer Seminar (2014-15)
• Harvard University Fellowship as Cisneros Visiting Scholar at the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (2011-12)

As Principal Investigator on multiple major grants, El-Dahdah has demonstrated exceptional leadership in securing research funding and directing collaborative projects. His work with the Spatial Studies Lab has created numerous digital platforms including imagineRio, Freedmen's Town, and Highways Waterways, which have advanced methodologies in digital art history and spatial humanities. El-Dahdah's international collaborations, particularly with Brazilian cultural institutions, reflect his commitment to global scholarship and cross-cultural understanding.

The Spatial Studies Lab, directed by El-Dahdah, represents a significant interdisciplinary research hub that bridges art history with digital technologies. The lab has produced innovative geospatial platforms addressing diverse topics from historical cartography to pandemic response. Current initiatives like "Diluvial Houston" and "Situated Views of Rio de Janeiro" demonstrate the lab's capacity to tackle complex urban challenges through digital humanities approaches, combining historical research with cutting-edge spatial analysis to address contemporary issues of social justice, environmental resilience, and cultural preservation.