Alumni

 Where are our alumni now?

Name	Year	Position	Firm
Aylin Ozkan	2011	Energy Consultant	RWDI
Jonathan Shrift	2011	Design Coordinator / Project Manager	Sentinel Real Estate
Jongpil Park	2011	Senior Technical Coordinator	STL Architects, Chicago, IL
Katrina Fernandez Nova	2011	Senior Architect & Project Manager	Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
Kelly Smyth	2011	Project Architect	Genesis Engineers
Lourdes Espaillat	2011	Junior Architect/ Environmental Building Designer	HMR Architects, Princeton, NJ
Mostapha Sadeghipour Roudsari	2011	Co-Founder	Ladybug Tools
Niketa Laheri, LEED AP	2011	Architectural Design Specialist	Jacobs
Sung Lee	2011	PM/PE/COR	General Services Administration (GSA)
Chanyang Shin	2012	Senior Environmental Designer	Atelier Ten, New York, NY
Helena Zambrano	2012	Design Consultant	Department of Sustainability, San Antonio, TX
Jerelle Carriere	2012	Project Architect	McKissack & McKissack
Manuel Marti, AIA	2012	Studio Head	PALMA, Chicago, Il
Pratik Zaveri	2012	Assistant Professor	Indus University
Qiongwen Kong, RA, LEED AP	2012	Senior Associate	NELSON
Rutvan Sheth	2012	Partner	V-CREATE l IGBC AP
Ryan Kyung-il Chung	2012	Project Designer	HMC Architects, Ontario, CA
Samin Barghan, LEED AP	2012	MBA Candidate	UCLA Anderson School of Management
Vladislav Pejic	2012	Design Program Manager	Lutron Electronics
Chris S. Colgan	2013	Project Architect	Jacobs, Philadelphia PA
Hyoungsub Kim	2013	Assistant professor	California State University, Sacramento
Jai Chung	2013	Design Builder / Estimator	ECCO III Enterprises, Inc.
Mahnaz Maroufi	2013	Project Architect/Manager	OLI Architecture PLLC
Sarita Sen	2013	Senior Project Manager	University of Delaware
Shadi Abdel Haleem	2013	Instructor in Architecture and Design	Virginia Tech
Steven Ni	2013	Development Manager	Sunny Skies Terrace, real estate development
Tanya Kataria,	2013	Project Coordinator	Weber Thompson
Yu Tian Chen	2013	SMTam Architects	SMTam Architects
Carolina Gallegos Navarro	2014	Architect	Cecil Baker + Partners
Chong Hyun (Johnny) Cho	2014	Senior Project Associate	Northland Power Inc., Development Asia
Daniel Se-hyun Kim	2014	Project Architect	Stantec
Devang Chauhan	2014	Software Developer & Designer	AEC
Jill Kurtz, AIA	2014	Principal + Director of Building Sciences	Page, Houston, TX
Luke Butcher	2014	Director	Butcher Bayley Architects
Priyanka Damle	2014	Policy Officer - Sustainability	Homes Victoria
Ramy Garas	2014	Assistant Managing Director at Al Garas Food Ingredients	Bellfoods
Saahiti Penigalapati	2014	Integrated Design and Certification Specialist	SERA Architects, Portland
Xiufang Zhao	2014	Intern	Jaguar Growth Partners
Amrita Ghosh	2015	Facade Designer	BuroHappold Engineering
Chenyang Lu	2015	Director	Delos
Jennifer Chalos, LEED AP	2015	Senior Environmental Designer	Arup
JungWon Jais Kwon	2015	Associate, Sustainable Design Specialist	FXCollaborative
Shai Gerner	2015	Project Manager	The Trump Group
Ashish Khemchandani	2016	Building and Project Performance Analyst	ZGF Architects
Evan Oskierko-Jeznaki	2016	Phd Candidate	University o f Pennsylvania
Janki Vyas	2016	Principal / Lecturer	KARMA co/lab / University of Pennsylvania
JeeEun Lee	2016	Ph.D. student in Human Behavior and Design	Cornell University
Ksenia Johnson (Knyazkina)	2016	Design Technology, Sustainability Tools	Rivian
Mingbo Peng	2016	Developer	Ladybug Tools, Ironbug
Munazza Bhatti	2016	BIM Technician	DWA/Innovativo Design, Inc.
Niccolo Benghi	2016	North America Business Development	Infinity | The Engineered Surface
Pegah Mathur	2016	PhD in Health Focused Environmental Building Design	North Carolina Statue University
Shengji Tan	2016	Associate Architect	NAC, Los Angeles
Shengliang Rong	2016	Senior Director	Delos
Shin Yi Kwan	2016	Built Environment Engineer	Nikken Sekkei Ltd
Jose Barria	2017	Consultant	Entropica
Mansi Dhanuka	2017	Architect and Environmental Designer	Jacobs
Samantha Aguilar	2017	Architect	SmithGroup
Aishwarya Katta	2018	Architectural Designer, High Performance Modelling	Jacobs, Philadelphia, PA
Kirin Kenendy	2018	Designer II	DIGSAU
Silmi Farah	2018	Architectural Designer, Leed AP BD+C	J.B.Nicholson Architecture
Weston Huang	2018	UIUX Strategic Designer	CNH Industrial
Youngjin Hwang	2018	Assistant Professor	University of Oklahoma
Yuqing Lu	2018	Assistant Architect	AECOM
Hwang Yi	2019	Assistant Professor	Architecture, Florida International University
Michaela Singson	2019	Building Science Specialist | Sustainability Team	Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
Namita Kara	2019	Environmental Designer	Atelier Ten, San Francisco
Nikita Jathan	2019	Design Staff	Atelier Ten, New York, NY
Shibei Huang	2019	Building Enclosure Consultant	RWDI
Ziao wang	2019	PhD	TUDelft
Jiayuan Wang	2020	Designer	HKS, Inc.
Madonna Nisha Miranda	2020	Building Science Intern	Robert Cohen Architects
Maria F. Trevino	2020	Community Planner	National Park Service
Sung Di	2020	Sustainable Design coordinator	Ayers Saint Gross
Surya Prabhakaran	2020	Building Performance Researcher	Kieran Timberlake
Vidya Unnikrishnan	2020	Design Staff	Atelier Ten, San Francisco, CA
Xuezhu(Chiara) Sun	2020	Junior Architect/ Environmental Building Designer	Derek Rubinoff, Architect

 

How has the EBD program shaped your career?

Name	How has the EBD program shaped your career?
Shengji Tan	It gives me a better understanding of environmental and energy conservation building design.
Katrina Fernandez Nova	It gives me a better understanding of environmental and energy conservation building design.
Youngjin Hwang	EBD allowed me to establish a strong foundation for a deep understanding of building science and architectural design, emphasizing building energy system and thermal comfort. This learning from EBD established my transdisciplinary building energy system research perspective during my PhD.
Maria F. Trevino	It gave me the tools and and understanding of how the environment works, how to respond to it, and how ecosystems work together. It also broaden my consciousness on how systems are connected and how they affect each other. That knowledge has had a powerful impact on my community projects. Through art, climate knowledge and sustainability recommendations I am helping various communities in Montana, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas. One of those projects specifically focuses on the use of urban tree canopy to mitigate Urban Heat Island, a concept I learned to respond to while doing the EBD program.
Weston Huang	Even though I transferred my career from architecture to software development, EBD program still played an influential part of my career. Humanity of design is the most valuable experience I had in this program. We did not only focus on the aesthetics or functionality of a house, we explored means to optimize human interaction and sensation in the artificial and natural environment. This learning experience gradually lead me to become an UXUI designer.
Jose Barria	oof. where do we start? MEBD gave me the tools to understand the different ways that energy shapes architecture, and vice versa. It enabled me to speak in terms of building science, HVAC, electricity (grids etc), simulations, while still being in the realm of design, human behaviour and aesthetics. On a practical level, I'm proud to be a consultant and mediator between architects, engineers, developers, who are interested in issues of energy. This program opens your eyes to see beyond stuff like LEED and certifications, as well as the fluff behind ordinary simulations. On a conceptual level, I have to thank ALL of the content from ETD (my favorite course by far), especially the part that focuses on systems thinking and the idea of leverage - places to intervene in a system, if I recall. I feel that architects who focus on energy are always somehow connected to policy making, and lessons from Dr Braham plus excerpts from Donella Meadows just give you the right mindset. The MEBD was by far the most exciting part of my education. Please ask me more about it.
Steven Ni	Positively, provided academic knowledge for understanding MEP systems and how/why they are designed and incorporated into the building
Saahiti Penigalapati	EBD helped me grow into my current role as a Integrated Design Specialist.
Pratik Zaveri	Gave realistic and rational understanding of Sustainability for Urban context. Help me to see and observe buildings and strategies more critically while responding to the environment and its effect on climate.
Jais Kwon	EBD Program provided guidance to merge design and sustainability and  work in a specialized position in AEC industry.
Shibei	building science, analysis, research training, and technical thinking. And great people.
Kirin Kenendy	I am helping lead the sustainability effort in our office. I was a founding member of the Sustainability Working group and currently chairing it. I have helped to roll out numerous initiatives and am spearheading daylighting and energy modeling (and its rollout) in the office. I have also been a part of the Philly COTE network and have led some presentations with their 2030 group.
Michaela Singson	It gave me the tools to pivot my career towards sustainability.
Namita Kara	The EBD program has helped me build a great foundation for all things related to sustainable building design. It also helped me realize that I'm most interested in the environmental design and daylighting aspects of architecture.
Namita Kara	It gave me a really good foundation going into sustainable design and helped me learn all aspects of the profession, including those I don't work on in my day to day
Ziao wang	It changed a lot to transfer me from a design based background to a research relative background and finally lead me to a PhD position in building energy field.

 

What skills were the most and least useful?

Name	What skills were the most and least useful?
Shengji Tan	Understanding of the whole system and the role of environmental design in the architecture industry.
Katrina Fernandez Nova	Most useful were the thinking in systems class, as well as the computational modeling aspects: solar, daylight, energy. Also really benefitted from some energy classes at the engineering school. Least useful were probably some electives including Landscape design, but those were of my own choosing.
Youngjin Hwang	The most useful skills: Various energy modeling and simulation skills, emergy, and building energy system principles. The least useful skills: Nothing!
Maria F. Trevino	Learning how to think about eco-systems, how to graphically represent problems and solutions, vocabulary and terminology, Learned about systems and how they work together and their impacts, Environmental Critical Thinkig, Emergy. Least useful, I currently don't work at a firm so simulation has not been very useful.
Weston Huang	It depends on which circumstance we are talking about.
Shengliang Rong	Critical thinking, data analytics, building science knowledge are most helpful skills
Jose Barria	-a base understanding of HVAC, energy consumption, and stuff that's usually alien to architects -simulations for sure -systems thinking for sure
Steven Ni	CFD and energy modeling - least useful Understanding energy consumption and cost of energy - very useful
Saahiti Penigalapati	Most useful skills are performance simulation tools.
Pratik Zaveri	Readiness to explore various tools and software and work in a team were really useful.
Jais Kwon	All analysis and basic knowledge about climate, and sustainable strategies were very helpful. Physical model making and envelope history were probably least helpful.
Kirin Kenendy	Most useful were probably daylighting + energy modeling.
Michaela Singson	Most useful - analytical skills, developed from the building performance and design classes.
Namita Kara	- Big picture of different parts of sustainable design, energy analysis/daylighting/studio/building simulation etc.
Ziao wang	Building simulation and relative building environment knowledge a most useful. Some elective courses are not very helpful.

 

What do you think is important for current EBD students to learn?

Name	What do you think is important for current EBD students to learn?
Shengji Tan	Simulation Software and Visualization of the analytical process, communication, and presentation.
Katrina Fernandez Nova	Embodied carbon accounting, sustainability of different structural systems, mechanical systems and energy simulation.
Youngjin Hwang	1) How to seamlessly apply all your technical learnings to design work, 2) how to balance between design and technological approach, and 3) how to interpret and validate your simulation results
Maria F. Trevino	Critical thinking, at first it was complicated to me some of the terminology of conditions such as urban heat island, passive and active systems and how they worked together. I think that no matter where you are, if you understand how things function in an ecosystem, environmental forces, human conditioning, worst and best outcomes, learn what data and results mean - you can communicate not only with planners and designers, but also policy, communities, educators, and businesses who want to build resiliency.
Weston Huang	Data analysis, Python
Shengliang Rong	Dependent on future career choice but definitely to keep open mind on things beyond architecture
Jose Barria	pay attention to how things actually work, instead of just the rule of thumb. it's important to understand how the concepts apply to different climates, not just the ones they live/work in. energy consultancy is a very international thing, you will soon learn. also, the world of energy efficiency (facades, hvac, etc) is quickly evolving and somehow trending, and you will be able to spot bullshit if you understand thermodynamics at its core.
Steven Ni	Applying systems and process thinking to beyond just architecture.
Saahiti Penigalapati	Circular economy and policy creation in terms of climate change. Ability to improve and adapt new simulation tools as required by firms as they adapt to new generation of simulations. Python and data analysis seems to prevalent in the industry now.
Pratik Zaveri	The interrelationship between active and passive strategies. And how these need to go hand in hand. Also the Energy Codes and Standards.
Jais Kwon	Truly fundamental knowledge of sustainable design and the details. You should be able to explain very primary principles to others who don't know much about sustainability and why it's important
Shibei	Data skills, simulation, understanding of the system.
Kirin Kenendy	I think understanding definitions, how to energy model properly and an ability to teach it to others. In most cases sustainability consultants or team members need to be able to shepherd the process and explain things to others.
Michaela Singson	I think its important for them to learn (at least) the basics for energy, daylight, wind, radiation simulation + LCA calculations. But more than learning HOW to run simulations, is learning how to analyze the results and make decisions on where design is going from there.
Namita Kara	To learn interpretation of analysis results. Creative problem solving to work within tight constraints seen in projects.
Ziao wang	Building energy system and relative knowledge, like heat transfer in buildings.

 

What experiences or anecdotes can you share with current students?

Name	What experiences or anecdotes can you share with current students?
Maria F. Trevino	I never thought I would work for the government and yet here I am. MEBD students learn things that are not taught in architecture school, it makes you a competitive professional. The degree can be used in many other fields, you can apply the degree to work with businesses, communities, scientists, engineers, planners, and educatirs, etc. There is a lot of opportunity and room for MEBD students because you learn not only to understand environmental problems in a comprehensive way (we live in times of environmental depletion), you know how to come up with solutions, and then represent those solutions to communicate with the public. I have come across communities they don't know what Climate Change is, they don't even know what a trail is. You have the opportunity as an environmental designer to explain in multiple ways and educate others about important challenges that our planet is facing.
Jose Barria	my group and I did MEBD wednesdays, and went for dinner only with the energy nerds do mingle with others on friday happy hours. these are amazing