Group members (15)
Anca Horvath
Assistant Professor | Group Lead
computational design, architectural design, computational fabrication, bio-design, architectural theory, art & science.
Xiaojun (Chloe) Zhu | 朱晓君
PhD studentfeb/2026 -
bio-based materials (bio-rock, seashell concrete), salvaged material reuse, digital fabrication, generative AI for design.
Lucky John Tutor
PhD studentfeb/2026 -
digital fabrication, design for sustainability, 4D printing, AI for design, human-computer interaction, human-building interaction.
Yunwei Li | 李昀蔚
PhD studentsept/2026 -
design theory, design for play, communication design, visual communication.
Yuliang Kang | 康宇亮
PhD studentsept/2026 -
material intelligence, responsive matter, speculative design, more-than-human design.
Zahid Hasan
PhD studentsept/2026 -
smart materials, functional nanocomposites, sustainable materials, flexible electronics, wearable sensors, intelligent sensing, sensor data analytics, human-computer interaction.
Siyuan (Sheldon) Chen | 陈思远
PhD student (part-time)sept/2026 -
construction and demolition, material flows, design for sustainability, design for disassembly, building conservation.
Yujie (Jessie) Liu | 刘钰杰
MPhil student
digital humanities, AI for creativity support, animal-computer interaction, sound & music, critical theory.
Lei (Simon) Han | 韩磊
PhD candidate (main supervisor David Yip)sept/2023 -
cultural heritage, generative AI, art-based research, interaction design.
Yawei Zhao | 赵雅薇
PhD candidate (main supervisor Pan Hui)sept/2022 -
landscape architecture, VR/AR/MR, art-based research, bio-design.
Yufeg Zeng | 曾钰峰
PhD candidate (main supervisor Chen Liang)sept/2023 -
creativity support tools, architectural design, design thinking.
Qinyan (Olivia) Li | 李沁妍
PhD student (main supervisor James She)sept/2024 -
human-AI collaboration, interactive art and design, generative AI.
Zhihun Ma | 马志骏
PhD student (main supervisor Kang Zhang)sept/2024 -
human-computer interaction, human-AI collaboration, interactive fabrication, digital cultural heritage.
Rong (Flora) Hu丨胡蓉
Research Assistant
AI-assisted spatial design decision-making, human-in-the-loop design systems, computational design, AI agents for design reasoning and automation.
Visiting researchers (6)
Arts & Humanities × Technology
E.G. Kraft | 可拉符 永治
Visiting researcher, November 2026 · Tokyo / Vienna
Conceptual artist and researcher of sociotechnical cultures, splitting his time between Western Europe and Eastern Asia. His award-winning work has been exhibited in museums, galleries and festivals worldwide, and addresses the modern condition as an outcome of techno-social, material and econometric dynamics. Kraft is the recipient of the 2023 Lumen Prize (UK), the 2022 New Technological Art Award (BE), the 2023 S+T+ARTS Prize Honourable Mention (EU), the 2022 Austrian Blockchain Award (AT), and numerous other awards and nominations. He is a frequent lecturer at European and Asian universities, including China Academy of Art, University of the Arts Berlin, Duke Kunshan University (CN), Joshibi University of Art and Design (JP), University of Art and Design Linz (AT).
Arts & Humanities × Technology
Elizabeth Jochum
Visiting researcher, October 2026 · Aalborg University, Denmark | RA Capital, Boston
Associate professor of Robotics and Art at Aalborg University (RELATE Research Laboratory for Art Technology) and director of robotics and automation at the investment fund RA in Boston. Her research uses the visual and performing arts as catalysts for rethinking how we design and implement robots and assistive technologies, from industrial robot arms to dancing exoskeletons.
Technology × Architecture
Christiane (Candy) M. Herr
Visiting researcher, meta-TOPIAS symposium, May 2026 · School of Design, Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech)
Tenured professor and founding member of the School of Design at the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), Shenzhen. She founded the Future Ecologies Research Group, which examines the intersection of ecology and technology in building facades, with an emphasis on the local context of China. Past President of CAADRIA and Vice-Chair of CAADFutures. Her talk: New Human-Nature Relationships in the City.
Technology × Design
Thomas Fischer
Visiting researcher, meta-TOPIAS symposium, May 2026 · School of Design, Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech)
Professor at the School of Design at SUSTech and leader of its Design Cybernetics Group. Design educator and researcher, with previous teaching posts at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. Fellow of the Design Research Society and of the Cybernetics Society, and recipient of the American Society for Cybernetics' Warren McCulloch Award. His research focuses on design computing, design cybernetics, design geometry and digital media. His talk: Media Archaeology + Cybernetic Machines.
Arts & Humanities × Architecture
Quanle Huang
Visiting researcher, meta-TOPIAS symposium, May 2026 · Faculty of Architecture & Applied Arts, Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts (GAFA)
Associate professor at the Faculty of Architecture & Applied Arts of the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, where she was head of the Department of Architecture from 2019 to 2025. She holds a PhD in Architecture from the University of Paris 8 and a Master's degree from the South China University of Technology, and worked for many years at its Architectural Design & Research Institute. Her research covers urban spatial typology, urban design, urban renewal and public architecture design. Her talk: Where Water Flows, Prosperity Grows: A Comparative Study of Urban-Water Symbiosis.
Arts & Humanities × Architecture
Shavei Zhang
Visiting researcher, meta-TOPIAS symposium, May 2026 · Faculty of Architecture & Applied Arts, Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts (GAFA)
Associate professor at the Faculty of Architecture & Applied Arts of the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, head of the Department of Landscape Architecture, and Deputy Secretary General of the Guangdong Specialized Committee of Landscape Architecture Education Information. Her research focuses on the Pearl River Delta, combining historical GIS, remote sensing and multi-source spatial data to study how regional cultural heritage adapts and how cultural landscapes evolve, bringing urban science and complex systems theory to the question of how cultural heritage stays resilient. Her talk: Urban Vitality Phase Transition Mechanisms in Brownfield Transformation: A Spatiotemporal Percolation Perspective.
Graduates
Simai (Stella) Huang | 黄思迈 (role: Research Assistant / current role: PhD student Beijing Normal Hong Kong Baptist University)
Academic and industry friends and collaborators
