Trained as an architect, I am a passionately dedicated and accomplished scholar with Ph.D. in architecture. My responsive and problem-centered scientific research projects aim to explore game changing findings in my expertise fields. My current scholarly (research) focal points and deep concerns are climate justice and public health with a holistic perspective and at the intersection of the social and material contexts of architecture design “practice”, interior design and their (recent) intertwined his/herstories. 

My recent advanced and archive-based academic research project has examined social justice themes in (postwar) architecture (herstory): With academic sponsorship by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, History, Theory and Criticism of Architecture Program as a visiting scholar for two years (24 months), I am "the first" scholar to uncover the beginning of co-education at the Princeton University-School of Architecture in 1968 (under the first dean of the School, Professor Robert Geddes' academic leadership and at the graduate level) and  "the first" scholar to uncover professional career and education herstory of pioneering Turkish and Turkish-American women architects in multicultural postwar U.S. architecture after my Ph.D. in architecture at Istanbul Technical University. Intersectional feminism and intertwined history of architecture in multicultural postwar U.S. architecture have been my recent scholarly research interests and expertise fields. (1). I was invited by the MIT-HTC, the MIT-WGS, the MIT-Women League, the MIT-Media in Transition International Conferences (5 & 6), the MIT-WikiConference North America, the Harvard University-GSD, the 53rd Middle East Studies Association-Annual Meeting, the Society of American Archivists-Research Forum (2020), CUNY, Boston University, the Society of Architectural Historians-Annual and International Conferences (2023 and 2018), "Women Who Design", the AIA-Silicon Valley, Emerson College, etc. as a speaker and a panelist. Following my productive research process at MIT, I am currently developing my book project. 

My most recent research project investigates diverse and inclusive historical documentation practice and methods at pioneering schools of architecture in the U.S., such as at MIT, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc. I moderated and co-organized an online panel on inclusive and diverse historical documentation and methods for (underrepresented) women architects with distinguished panelists and "Women Who Design": Professor Mary Norman Woods, a pioneering woman architecture historian, a leading senior curator and two archivists in the field in 2021. 

I am an awardee of a fellowship by the Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) and very pleased to receive invitation e-mail by the Founding President of Historic Interiors Affiliate Group at the Society of Architectural Historians (SAH-HIG) to serve their “first" Research Committee. With my brilliant colleagues at this Research Committee, three inspiring archivists in the field and support by our affiliate group (SAH-HIG), I have co-organized our first (and online) panel, "Flow: At the Intersection of Archives and Historic Interiors". With my scholarly mission to support and promote inclusive and diverse mindset in architecture (history), I have served as a nominator for the Aga Khan Awards for Architecture. As a certificate holder by Consortium for Graduate Studies, Gender, Culture, Women & Sexuality (GCWS) hosted by MIT, I am a peer reviewer of the PLAN Journal (TPJ) on research, studies and criticism in architecture and urbanism.

As a panelist at "Convergence at the Confluence of Power, Identity, and Design" held by “the Harvard University, Graduate School of Design (GSD)-Women in Architecture Group” (in November 2018), it was an inspiring experience for me to act as an active part of a historic threshold and positive transformation at this pioneering school in architecture: With “Convergence”, we had invited everyone in architecture and design-oriented disciplines to take their concrete actions for systemic equity in education and profession. Following our strong messages, in April 2019, Professor Sarah Whiting was officially announced as "the first" woman dean in the history of the Harvard University-GSD: We accomplished!

As a special Turkish fellow, I began my Ph.D. dissertation research at the Harvard University, Aga Khan History of Art and Architecture, Ph.D. Program, and continued this advanced research at the Columbia University, Graduate School of Planning and Preservation, Ph.D. Program as a research scholar. Based on my dissertation research at Harvard and Columbia universities (in particular with scientific research support by Professor Kenneth Frampton), I completed "the first" Ph.D. dissertation on historical and theoretical analysis of practice conducted by Tekeli-Sisa Architecture (Istanbul, 1954-present) with a specific research problem on design architect-(diverse) large scale client  relation in the private sector, and obtained my Ph.D. in Architecture at the Istanbul Technical University, Faculty of Architecture. My secondary scholarly expertise fields and interests are theory and (postwar)  history of the architecture profession and its (design) practice with a focus on  design architect practitioner and (large-scale) client relation (in postwar Türkiye). Prior to my advanced and international scholarly endeavors, I obtained my bachelor and master’s degrees in architecture from Istanbul Technical University established in 1773. Its Faculty of Architecture is "the first" school in the world that obtained recognition from the National Architecture Accreditation Board (NAAB) outside the U.S. in 2008. (2). I also took my English language education at Istanbul Technical University, School of Foreign Languages, English Preparatory Programs accredited by the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education. (3). Following my professional degree in architecture, my graduation project was nominated as an award candidate at the National Architecture Awards by the Chamber of Architects of Türkiye, and was exhibited in this Award Program's Travelling Exhibition across the country. As a licensed architect in Türkiye, I pursued my professional design practice with my teaching and publishing practice in architecture. 

I have over 100 publications in architecture, including published scholarly essays, articles, digital collection, published research report, interviews on my research, editorial monographs, digital publications of my panel talks, symposium and conference presentations, short documentary films and translations. According to Archnet at MIT, the "first" and digital collection on "Turkish Women Architects" I created and developed for this online resource is the largest of several additions to their Women in Architecture Collection. (in 2016). (4). As a contributing author, I have recently submitted my 10 building and interior design articles (total 7362 words) with my 336 high quality photographs to SAH Archipedia for their climate responsive and inclusive content development to support post-pandemic studies by learning, teaching, research and professional communities in architecture.  Diverse and inclusive historical documentation, visual archives and photography are among my deep scholarly interests in architecture and interior design. With my published "817" architectural and interior photographs, I am an inclusive content developer of "SAH Archipedia", authoritative online encyclopedia of the U.S. built environment organized by the Society of Architectural Historians and the University of Virginia Press; and "SAHARA", a digital image archive developed by the Society of Architectural Historians in collaboration with Artstor and funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. In January 2023, I was very pleased to be the guest editor of SAHARA.  My 19 editorial monographs on pioneering architects are accessible at leading academic libraries in the U.S. architecture, such as at the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library of Columbia University, the Frances Loeb Library of the Harvard University Graduate School of Design and the Rotch Library of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Architecture & Planning. My published architectural monograph on Bernard Tschumi is accessible in Swiss Collections, a gateway to historical and modern collections in Swiss libraries and archives. (Bibliographic code: bbg08). These 19 editorial monographs are "first" series on pioneering international and national modern and contemporary architects for research and teaching communities in Turkish architecture. 

As a dedicated architect, accomplished scholar and educator, I am always open new and inspiring projects for a better architecture! For lecture and speaking arrangements, online teaching, collaborative projects, and questions, please do not hesitate to contact me: meral@meralekincioglu.com

For all references and more info., please see: http://meralekincioglu.com/bio...