Four new faculty members have joined the faculty of the School of Architecture and Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
“These individuals add considerable strength and depth to our faculty,” says Hashim Sarkis, dean of the School of Architecture and Planning. “We are excited for the academic vigor they bring to research and teaching.”
Three of the four new faculty members are women.
Karrie G. Karahalios joins the MIT Media Lab as a full professor of media arts and sciences. Most recently, Dr. Karahalios served as a professor of computer science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Professor Karahalios is a pioneer in the exploration of social media and of how people communicate in environments that are increasingly mediated by algorithms. Her work combines computing, systems, artificial intelligence, anthropology, sociology, psychology, game theory, design, and infrastructure studies. Dr. Karahalios holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering and earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in media arts and sciences, all from MIT.
Mariana Popescu is an assistant professor in the department of architecture. She is a computational architect and structural designer with a strong interest and experience in innovative ways of approaching the fabrication process and use of materials in construction. Her area of expertise is computational and parametric design, with a focus on digital fabrication and sustainable design. Dr. Popescu earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in architecture from the Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands. She holds a doctorate from ETH Zurich in Switzerland.
Holly Samuelson has joined the department of architecture as an associate professor in the building technology program. Her teaching and research focus on issues of building design that impact human and environmental health. She was an associate professor at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. Dr. Samuelson earned a bachelor of architecture degree from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and a doctor of design degree from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design.