Reto Geiser

Reto Geiser is an Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Research and Academic Affairs at Rice University’s School of Architecture. His work bridges architectural design, pedagogy, and media, focusing on modern architecture’s intersections with education and exhibition practices. He holds a Dr. Sc. and M.Arch. from ETH Zurich, where his early studies shaped his interdisciplinary approach.

• Academic Roles: Academic Leadership, Architecture Curriculum Development, and Studio Teaching
• Key Projects: Rice Architecture Summer Immersion Program (underserved high school students), Mellon-funded 'Reverse Ruins' photography project, and research on Miami-based firm Arquitectonica

His research explores architectural exhibitions’ role in knowledge dissemination through works like Futures of the Architectural Exhibition, which analyzes contemporary curation practices. Geiser’s award-winning books include Archetypes (on Johnston Marklee) and Giedion and America, repositioning modernist historiography.

Publications span Harvard Design Magazine, Future Anterior, and exhibition catalogues, reflecting his dual focus on scholarly writing and spatial practice. Recent curatorial work includes Switzerland’s 11th Venice Architecture Biennale contribution Explorations: Teaching Design Research and the 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial’s Rooms for Books.

• Awards: George R. Brown Award (2021), Charles Duncan Award (2020), Scientia Institute Membership (2020)

Teaching: Currently instructs ARCH 225/525: Introduction to Architectural Thinking and ARCH 550: Out of This World, emphasizing speculative design and spatial reasoning.