School of Architecture and Planning recognizes faculty with academic promotions in 2025

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) School of Architecture and Planning (SA+P) has announced the promotion of seven distinguished faculty members, effective July 1, 2025. These promotions acknowledge their significant contributions across the fields of architecture, urban studies, and media arts, reinforcing SA+P’s commitment to advancing the relationship between human beings and their environments.

“Whether architects, urbanists, computer scientists, or nanotechnologists, they represent our school at its best, in its breadth of inquiry and mission to improve the relationship between human beings and their environments,” stated SA+P Dean Hashim Sarkis, highlighting the diverse expertise and impactful work of the promoted faculty.

Department of Architecture

Marcelo Coelho has been promoted to associate professor of the practice. As the director of the Design Intelligence Lab, Coelho leads research at the nexus of human and machine intelligence, design, AI, and fabrication. His innovative portfolio, spanning light-based installations to physical computing, has earned him two Prix Ars Electronica awards and Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Award. Coelho’s teaching integrates industrial design, user experience, and artificial intelligence, showcasing his experimental approach to redefining creative processes.

Holly Samuelson is now an associate professor without tenure. A recognized authority in architectural technology, Samuelson has authored over 40 peer-reviewed papers, including a Best Paper award from Energy and Building. Her insights have been featured in prominent media outlets such as The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, the BBC, and The Wall Street Journal.

Rafi Segal has been promoted to full professor. An acclaimed designer, Segal’s work spans architectural and urban scales, from the iconic Villa 003 in the ORDOS 100 series to significant projects like the Kitgum Peace Museum in Uganda and the winning design for the National Library of Israel. His ongoing work includes planning a new communal neighborhood for an Israeli kibbutz and curating a pioneering exhibition on Alfred Neumann’s 1960s architecture.

Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP)

Carlo Ratti has been reappointed as professor of the practice. As director of the Senseable City Lab and a founding partner of Carlo Ratti Associati, Ratti has co-authored over 500 publications and holds numerous patents. His work has graced global stages including the Venice Biennale and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. His projects, such as the Digital Water Pavilion and the Copenhagen Wheel, were named among TIME Magazine’s “Best Inventions of the Year.” Ratti is also the esteemed curator of the 2025 Venice Biennale’s 19th International Architecture Exhibition.

Albert Saiz has been promoted to full professor. Saiz directs MIT’s Urban Economics Lab, leading research in real estate and urban economics, housing markets, and global demographic trends. He also serves the broader research community as a visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, a research fellow at the Institute for the Analysis of Labor, and editor for the Journal of Housing Economics.

Delia Wendel has been promoted to associate professor without tenure. Wendel’s research centers on community repair post-conflict and disaster, African urbanism, and spatial politics. Her interdisciplinary approach integrates urban studies, critical peace studies, architectural history, cultural geography, and anthropology. At MIT DUSP, she spearheads the Planning for Peace critical collective and oversees the Mellon Foundation and MIT Center for Art, Science and Technology-funded Memory Atlas for Repair project. She is also the managing editor of Projections, DUSP’s annual peer-reviewed journal.

Program in Media Arts and Sciences

Deblina Sarkar has been promoted to associate professor without tenure. As director of the Nano-Cybernetic Biotrek Lab at the MIT Media Lab, Sarkar pioneers groundbreaking technologies by merging nanoelectronics, physics, and biology. Her innovations include ultra-thin quantum transistors and the first antenna designed to operate inside living cells. Her interdisciplinary work has garnered major accolades, including the National Institutes of Health Director’s New Innovator Award and the IEEE Early Career Award in Nanotechnology.