Five Women Promoted to New Faculty Ranks in the School of Architecture and Planning at MIT

The School of Architecture and Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has recently promoted 11 faculty members, five of whom are women.

Azra Akšamija has been promoted to full professor in the department of architecture. In addition to her teaching position, she serves as director of the art, culture, and technology program and director of the Future Heritage Lab. Her work as an artist and architectural historian have led her to authoring several publications including Mosque Manifesto: Propositions for Spaces of Coexistence (Revolver Publishing, 2015).

Dr. Akšamija received a master’s degree in architecture from Graz Institute of Technology in Austria and a second master’s degree in architecture from Princeton University in New Jersey. She holds a Ph.D. in history, theory, and criticism in architecture from MIT.

devin michelle bunten has been promoted to associate professor in the department of urban studies and planning. Prior to her new promotion, she held the title of Edward H. and Joyce Linde Assistant Professor of Urban Economics and Housing. As a scholar, she uses economic theory and empirical tools to study a range of urban topics, including gentrification and neighborhood change, restrictive zoning, and the white supremacy at the root of American housing.

Dr. bunten is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Colorado at Denver, where she double-majored in English and film studies. She holds a master’s degree in economics from Colorado State University and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Catherine D’Ignazio has been promoted to associate professor in the department of urban studies and planning. Currently, she is director of MIT’s Data + Feminism Lab. Her work on feminist technology, data literacy, and civic engagement have led her to authoring to two books: Data Feminism (MIT Press, 2020) and Counting Feminicide: Data Feminism in Action (MIT Press, 2024).

Professor D’Ignazio is a summa cum laude graduate of Tufts University in Massachusetts, where she majored in international relations. She holds a master of fine arts degree in studio art, design, and theory from the Maine College of Art and a master’s degree in media arts and sciences from MIT.

Elisabeth Reynolds has been promoted to professor of the practice in the department of urban studies and planning. Her scholarship centers around systems of innovation, manufacturing and industrial competitiveness, and regional economics development. For her expertise in this area, she was appointed as the special assistant to President Joe Biden for manufacturing and economic development at the National Economic Council in 2021 and 2022. Additionally, she is the co-author of Work of the Future: Building Better Jobs in an Age of Intelligent Machines (MIT Press, 2022).

Dr. Reynolds holds a bachelor’s degree in government from Harvard University, a master’s degree in economics from the University of Montreal in Canada, and a Ph.D. in urban studies and planning from MIT.

Danielle Wood has been promoted to associate professor in the program in media arts and sciences. She holds a joint appointment with the department of aeronautics and astronautics and is the faculty lead for African and African diaspora studies. Additionally, she is the founding director of MIT’s Space Enabled Research Group.

Dr. Wood holds four degrees from MIT; a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering, a master’s degree in technology policy, a second master’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics, and a Ph.D. in engineering systems.