The University of Sydney announces six new staff appointments to their Faculty of Architecture, Design and Planning to develop the department’s research and industry networks, and equip students with the knowledge required to compete in the global market.

Dr Mathew Aitchison, Dr Matthew Mindrup, Catherine Lassen, Dr Rizal Muslimin, Dr Jennifer Kent and Dr Adrienne Keane have joined the University in the past two months across the architecture and planning disciplines, and bring strong Australian and international expertise in architecture practice, research and teaching to the University of Sydney.

Professor John Redmond, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Design and Planning, said that the global challenges of urbanisation and sustainability require the Faculty to significantly increase its capacity and depth of expertise in education and research. He added that the experience and capability of the new Faculty members will help give their graduates the skills to compete and make a difference in their work locally and abroad. The new appointments will also increase the Faculty’s capacity to develop innovative research.

Dr Mathew Aitchison

Associate Professor Mathew Aitchison brings his broad global experience to his new role, having worked as a researcher, architect and teacher in Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, UK, US and Australia. Building on his design and academic interests, he maintains a broad practice that includes competition schemes, building projects and design research in public and private sectors. His recent research on industry R&D projects focusses on prefabricated and modular housing in Australia.

Dr Matthew Mindrup

A PhD in Architecture and Design at Virginia Tech University, Dr Matthew Mindrup has several years of architectural practice in the US, Italy and Switzerland, and also taught architecture for 15 years in universities in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Switzerland, where he developed an appreciation for the propensity of materials in the imagination of architecture. Dr Mindrup has presented some of this research at conferences and has also been published.

Catherine Lassen

A highly-regarded Sydney architect and Principal of Catherine Lassen Architecture, Catherine Lassen is a Masters graduate from Harvard University. Her work featured in the Venice Biennale (2008) and has been widely published in Australia’s leading architecture and design magazines. Her professional experience includes stints with leading international architects Leers Weinzapfel Associates, Boston, and Rem Koolhaas, Rotterdam. She has been lecturing at the University of NSW for the last eight years, and has an impressive list of academic research, publications and exhibitions to her name. She takes up the position of Senior Lecturer in the Faculty.

Dr Rizal Muslimin

Dr Rizal Muslimin has a rich body of research and teaching experience from the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in US as well as leading universities in Singapore and Indonesia. He has also practiced architecture as an Associate Principal in PT Urbane, one of the top 10 architecture firms in Indonesia. His research is focussed on the intersection between craft, architecture and digital design. Particularly interested in exploring traditional craft methods to reinvent ways of fabricating buildings, Dr Muslimin has won several awards for his design concepts including MIT’s Harold and Arlene Schnitzer Prize in Visual Arts in 2013. Dr Muslimin has been appointed as a new lecturer in architecture.

Dr Jennifer Kent

Awarded one of the University’s competitive Postdoctoral Research Fellowships (2015-2017), Dr Jennifer Kent joins the Urban and Regional Planning and Policy team. Her research lies in the intersections between planning and health, including planning for active transport and attachments to the private car for mobility. Dr Kent previously held research positions at Macquarie University, where she also lectured in Environmental Planning, and in the University of NSW’s Healthy Built Environments program.

Dr Adrienne Keane

A Master of Urban and Regional Planning (Honours) and PhD, Dr Adrienne Keane now joins the Faculty as a lecturer in the new Bachelor of Architecture and Environments. Dr Keane is a director of the International Urban Planning and Environment Association and a member of the Urban Specialist Group, part of IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas. Her primary research lies in statutory planning, exploring the role and consequences of planning policies in nature conservation in cities and natural world heritage areas.

Architecture & Design Team

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