A designer, maker, researcher and academic, Simon said she was “delighted to be joining a university that has such a strong tradition in design, and that is so committed to ideas and experimentation.
“I’m personally invested in and inspired by the power and potential of researching and teaching through the process of design, and RMIT is a great environment for this.”
Simon has been involved in teaching for 20 years, developing and delivering design studios, lecture-based courses, and international travelling studios in landscape architecture and architecture.
Research outputs, for Simon, are many and varied, ranging across traditional publications, curated exhibitions, and peer-reviewed design competition entries.
Since completing her undergraduate and postgraduate studies in New Zealand , and gaining her PhD from the University of Sydney, Simon has worked in industry in the UK and New Zealand, and as an academic at the University of Auckland (NZ), University of Cambridge (UK), Unitec Institute of Technology (NZ), and the University of New South Wales.
Dean of the School of Architecture and Urban Design, Professor Martyn Hook, said he was excited about Simon’s appointment and looked forward to her contribution to research and teaching at RMIT.
“With her entire career built around the creative interweaving of diverse domains and modes of knowledge, Katrina Simon is passionate about exploring ways of imparting her broad knowledge and integrated approach to new generations of designers and researchers.
“This is evident in the rich variety of teaching, research and academic leadership that she has achieved during her career, so far.”
The School of Architecture and Urban Design is focused on exploring the challenges of cities and the resilience of landscape through its rich design culture and emerging technologies, as well as the use of design practice as an agent of cultural change.
Simon will join RMIT in July.
Story: Julia Alessandrini