Faculty focused on excellence

Assia Crawford, whose work sits at the intersection of architecture, biology, and critical theory, joins the school as an Assistant Professor of Architecture. Currently researching mycelium-based textiles as environmentally friendly alternatives to leather, Crawford looks forward to exploring bio-design as a tool for ecological repair and narrative expression. She describes New Orleans, “not as a backdrop, but as a co-author in architectural education” and an ideal place for these investigations. 

Recognizing the need to “simplify construction assemblies and localize material sourcing,” Christopher Meyer, co-founder of Atelier Mey, joins the faculty as Associate Professor of Architecture. His current research project examines “southern yellow pine forests stretching across the southeastern U.S. as a renewable source for various construction materials,” considering pines’ entire life cycle. He is excited to work not just in New Orleans but in the equally important surrounding territories, such as the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Deltas. 

Shawna Meyer, Professor of Practice in Architecture, co-founded Atelier Mey, a practice that explores contemporary issues, such as energy, efficacy, and craftmanship, through an embrace of slowness, allowing deep consideration of the forces that shape our environments. She sees New Orleans as a location ripe for exploring the tensions between place and identity and is “look[ing] forward to exploring and contributing to the discourse in New Orleans with care and humility.” 

Yeonhwa Lee, Assistant Professor in Real Estate Development, looks forward to establishing a research program that both responds to the urgent challenges concerning housing in New Orleans and contributes to broader national policy conversations about housing. In her teaching, she “plan[s] to draw extensively from the rich case study that New Orleans provides, not only in terms of challenges and pressures but also in terms of solutions and possibilities.”

Darryl Glade, Professor of Practice in Real Estate Development, wants to use this new position, having previously taught as an adjunct lecturer at the school, to enable students to see real estate as more than a transaction and to embrace its entrepreneurial potentials. Through courses on technology and artificial intelligence, he hopes “to build [students’] confidence to think creatively, solve problems, and take action,” while demonstrating the diverse approaches students may take in pursuing a career in real estate. He’s especially excited to teach in a place that pushes people to think differently, the same mindset he fosters in the classroom.

Richelle Allen, Professor of Practice in Real Estate Development, joins the permanent faculty after working as an adjunct lecturer and having a successful career in Real Estate Development at HRI. She will bring her expansive experience to the classroom, having worked her way up from an entry-level Financial Analyst position to serve as Vice President of Development at HRI. She will also leverage her experience at Stonehenge Capital, a national firm specializing in federal and state tax credit syndication. 

New Katz Professorships

Pankaj Vir Gupta returns to the school with a three-year appointment as the new Katz Professor of Architecture and Urbanism. His firm vir.mueller architects has just completed the Humayun’s Tomb Site Museum in New Delhi, the first contemporary museum to be designed and built at a World Heritage Site in India. Also co-director of the renowned research initiative on water and urbanization, The Yamuna River Project, Gupta looks forward to teaching in New Orleans in order “to be present and to engage actively in the conversations on advancing policy and implementation of on-ground solutions in this fragile equilibrium.” 

Research track faculty

Leah Kahler joins the faculty as Research Assistant Professor for the NASEM Gulf Coast Climate Futures project and its Research Studio to co-produce a volume about how extractive systems have shaped landscapes and plant cultivation practices across the Gulf South. Her research will focus on the politics and geographies of living resource extraction and their interconnected production systems in the Gulf. A native of South Louisiana, she is “excited to learn from the rich networks […] who are working towards just futures for the region and its communities.”

Jess Vanecek, Research Assistant Professor on the Yamuna River Project, will use her expertise in multi-scalar watershed research and representational methods to research the ecological and cultural restoration of the Yamuna River. She hopes to expand her work to include related studies of the impacts of infrastructure and climate change on the Gulf Coast region. She views New Orleans, which “offers a convergence of environmental vulnerability, cultural richness, and deep-rooted connection to place” as a rich location to pursue her work. 

Engaging with ecological urban infrastructures, Sean Fowler will continue his work with the New Orleans Public Space Project research studio at Tulane as a Research Assistant Professor. Enhanced by its engagement with New Orleans, the studio emphasizes “using public spaces and streets to manage water, address urban heat, and reintroduce green spaces into the city to make more beautiful, functional, and healthy spaces for people.” This work will contribute to larger conversations regarding urbanism, infrastructure, and ecology. 

Program leadership changes

Nationally respected preservationist, educator, and cultural heritage advocate, Heather Veneziano was named Program Director for the Historic Preservation Program in May.

Aligning with his strong research focus on urbanism, Rubén García Rubio has been appointed as the Program Director for the newly launched Sustainable Urbanism major and minor, succeeding the founding director Emerita Professor Carol McMichael Reese.

Versé Shom is the new Program Director for Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship, bringing his passion for creating impactful programs that address complex social issues.

Sonsoles Vela Navarro is now the Associate Program Director for Architecture, joining Program Director Emilie Taylor Welty in strengthening the program’s administration and leadership.

Related