Jiayang Li

Jiayang Li

Department of Landscape Architecture, Florida Institute for Built Environment Resilience (FIBER)
Assistant Professor
ARCH 456

Dr. Jiayang Li is an interdisciplinary scholar working at the intersection of landscape design and climate change adaptation. Her research tackles the challenge of creating landscape change that makes communities more resilient and is welcomed by community members. Currently, Jiayang draws on social science theories and methods to study everyday landscape experiences and community perceptions of novel nature-based solutions. She has published in multiple top-ranked journals including Landscape and Urban Planning and given guest lectures and conferences presentations nationally and internationally. Jiayang earned her Ph.D. in Environment and Sustainability and Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Michigan. She also holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Landscape Architecture from Tongji University in Shanghai, China. Before turning her primary focus to research, she had practiced in design firms including SmithGroup and AECOM.

Jules Bruck

Jules Bruck

School of Landscape Architecture and Planning
Director, School of Landscape Architecture and Planning; Chair, Department of Landscape Architecture
(352) 294-3859
ARCH 431A

Dr. Jules Bruck, RLA, joined the University of Florida College of Design, Construction and Planning on July 1, 2022, as director of the School of Landscape Architecture and Planning and chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture. She came to DCP from the University of Delaware, where she was professor and founding director of the landscape architecture program. In those roles, she taught capstone and design process studios and courses in creativity, field sketching and ecological planting design. She is a registered landscape architect and a SITES Accredited Professional (AP).

In April 2018, she co-founded the Coastal Resilience Design Studio (CRDS). This Delaware Sea Grant-funded collaboration brings together educators, students, scientists, citizen-scientists, engineers, designers, artists and other academic institutions in Delaware to study and respond to issues affecting the state’s coastlines and coastal communities. CRDS work focuses on coastal challenges that stem from historical decisions, human settlement, sea-level rise and necessary compliance with water quality mandates. The goal of CRDS is to team community members with interdisciplinary experts and students to develop new strategies and manage special cases that threaten coastal communities. Ultimately, the studio hopes to drive policy to benefit coastal communities through more sustainable land use, planning and education.

The CRDS was honored as the 2021 Coastal Estuarine Research Federation’s student contest winner. Their project, Carbon in the Tidewater, focused on Hampton, Virginia, which has a low elevation, high rate of land subsidence and intense storm surge risk. Students explored the use of the Global Carbon Market to finance self-regenerating nature-based coastal infrastructure. This project also received an honor award from the Pennsylvania-Delaware chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects.

In the fall of 2021, Bruck became the co-director of UD’s Gerard J. Mangone Climate Science and Policy Hub. Over the past year, the Climate Change Hub developed the capacity of UD faculty and students to research and enhance courses with science-based climate change content by providing competitive awards for scholarship and teaching.

Her research interests are coastal resilience, green infrastructure and public perception of sustainable landscape practices. She is the principal investigator for a collaborative project called Developing Engineering Practices using Ecosystem Design Solutions for Future Army (DEEDS). This four-year project will allow her diverse team to research shellfish-based living shoreline solutions. Bruck has a Ph.D. from Texas A&M University.

Glenn Acomb

Glenn Acomb

Department of Landscape Architecture
Senior Lecturer Emeritus

Yi Luo

Yi Luo

Department of Landscape Architecture
Assistant Professor
ARCH 432

• Ph.D. in Landscape Architecture & Urban Planning, Texas A&M University, 2014
• Master of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning, Utah State University, 2007
• Bachelor of Architecture & Urban Planning, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, 2002

Areas of Focus:
Sustainability (Built Environment Resilience, Renewable Energy, Smart Buildings/Cities, Sustainable Architecture and Design, Sustainable Construction)
My research has been focusing on landscape performance evaluation, which quantifies the post-performance of sustainable landscape projects (range from individual residential property to urban plaza, and city and regional scale), and shows the value of sustainable design practices.

Bio:
Yi Luo, PhD, PLA is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Florida. Prior to joining the University of Florida, Yi taught at Texas Tech University and Texas A&M University. Yi received her Bachelor of Architecture from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China, Master of Landscape Architecture from Utah State University, and PhD in Urban and Regional Science from Texas A&M University.  Her areas of interest are landscape performance evaluation, sustainability assessment, performance evaluation metrics and methods, therapeutic landscapes, and stormwater management and low impact development. Yi’s research has been funded by various agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Landscape Architecture Foundation, and Jessie Ball DuPont.

Before pursuing her PhD at Texas A&M University, Yi practiced landscape architecture and architecture in multidisciplinary firms in the United States and China with efforts to promote green building and sustainable development. She is a licensed landscape architect (Utah).

Yi advises Ph.D. and Master students and teaches a wide range of studio and lecture courses:

  • Site Design and Planning (Studio)
  • Landscape Construction (Studio)
  • Capstone Project (Studio)
  • Research Methods
  • Advanced Landscape Architecture (Studio)
  • Collaboration Studio (Studio)
  • History of Landscape Architecture
  • Graduate and Undergraduate Seminars

 

Andrea Galinski

Andrea Galinski

Department of Landscape Architecture
Assistant Scholar
ARCH 461

• Master of Landscape Architecture, Louisiana State University, 2010
• Bachelor of Philosophy, Pennsylvania State University, 2002

Areas of Focus:
Sustainability (Built Environment Resilience)
In relation to the UN’s perspective on “sustainability,” (sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”), I’ve been focused on sustainability in terms of conducting research that assists communities to become more resilient to climate change impacts (flooding, heat, etc.), and to develop strategies that support thriving amidst long-term change.

Bio:
Andrea currently teaches foundational landscape architecture courses including “Introduction to Landscape Architecture” and “Site Analysis” in the Department of Landscape Architecture. She employs a student-centered and social learning approach, as well as infuses foundational design coursework with issues of equity, climate change, and other critical conversations. Previously, she taught at Louisiana State University’s (LSU) Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture and the School of Architecture; her teaching centered on rigorous research-based design for resilient landscape infrastructures in the dynamic Louisiana coast.

Working in the Shimberg Center for Housing Studies, Andrea focuses on the nexus between climate change and affordable housing with a particular interest in pre-disaster mitigation plans and policies. Most recently, she is exploring the ethical use of drones and other AI technologies in relation to landscape site analysis and community engagement. Funded research projects include: “Flood Hazard Management & Practitioner Information Network for Florida Coastal Communities” (National Science Foundation); “Quantifying the Effectiveness of Resilience Planning for Affordable Housing” (Florida Sea Grant); as well as the “Resilience and Energy Analysis of Communities and Housing” in the Tampa Bay (JP Morgan Chase), among others. Previously, she worked in Louisiana to develop the state’s 50 year/$50 billion Coastal Master Plan to protect and restore the coast in the context of sea level rise. Her work also received Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) 2015 Individual and Community Preparedness Awards: Honorable Mention in “Technological Innovations” for a web-based tool visualizing future wetland degradation, storm surge, and sea level rise.

Andrea has a Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) from Louisiana State University’s Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture. She has transdisciplinary Bachelor of Philosophy (B.Ph.) degree in “Human Ecology” from Penn State University. Additionally, she is also a Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM), and member of the Association of Floodplain Managers (ASFPM), American Planning Association (APA), and the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA).

She currently lives in Gainesville, FL with her husband, two young children, a dog, two cats, and a flock of suburban chickens.

Huiqing Kuang

Huiqing Kuang

Department of Landscape Architecture
Instructional Assistant Professor
415-632-7704
ARCH 430

• Master of Landscape Architecture, University of Pennsylvania, 2007
• Master of Architecture, South China University of Technology, 2005
• Bachelor of Architecture, South China University of Technology, 2002

Huiqing Kuang is a Landscape Architect, and an Instructional Assistant Professor in the School of Landscape Architecture and Planning. She focuses on placemaking: the creation of strong, vibrant, and environmentally sustainable communities. Her expertise lie in design visualization, digital technologies, green infrastructure, and design with native plants.

Huiqing holds a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania. She is a licensed landscape architect, and she has worked for OLIN in Philadelphia, PA (2011-2015), and SWA in Sausalito, CA (2007-2011). She also holds Master and Bachelor of Architecture from the Southern China University of Technology. She is an Architect in China and has worked at the Architecture Design & Research Institute in Guangzhou under Prof. He Jingtang. Her work has been awarded by the American Society of Landscape Architecture, the Society of College and University Planning, and China Engineering & Consulting Association.

Huiqing currently teaches undergraduate and graduate Design Communication courses, Visualization for Planners, undergraduate and graduate Design Studios (Principles and Planting Design), Introduction to Landscape Architecture; she also advises Capstone and Graduate Terminal Projects. Her teaching focuses on innovative techniques that explore the agency of representation in Landscape Architectural design. She embraces people-centered design approaches to create a sense of place that reflects the temporal, spatial and material complexity of the landscape.

Timothy Murtha

Timothy Murtha

Department of Landscape Architecture, Florida Institute for Built Environment Resilience (FIBER)
Professor
352-294-1443
ARCH 456

• Ph.D. Anthropology, The Pennsylvania State University, 2002
• M.A. Anthropology, The Pennsylvania State University, 1997
• B.A. Anthropology, University of Central Florida, 1994

Areas of Focus:
Sustainability 

Bio:
Dr. Murtha holds a joint appointment with the College of Design, Construction and Planning and the Center for Latin American Studies. He is an anthropologist, landscape archaeologist and design educator with over twenty years of research studying settlement patterns and landscape history in the lowlands of Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. He is a founding faculty member of the Florida Institute of Built Environment Resilience and his research investigates the coupled natural human systems dynamics of settlement and land use, relying on advanced geospatial tools. Dr. Murtha studied at the University of Central Florida, before completing his MA and Ph.D. in Anthropology from the Pennsylvania State University. For thirteen years, Dr. Murtha taught in the Stuckeman School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, recently directing the Hamer Center for Community Design (2014 – 2017). Dr. Murtha has conducted sponsored interdisciplinary research in Mexico, Guatemala and Belize, as well as participating in research in Northern Europe and North America.

Alpa Nawre

Alpa Nawre

Department of Landscape Architecture
Associate Professor
352-294-1445
ARCH 442

• Master of Landscape Architecture in Urban Design, Harvard University, 2011
• Master of Landscape Architecture, Louisiana State University, 2007
• Bachelor of Architecture, National Institute of Technology, Raipur, India, 2003

Areas of Focus:  Sustainability (Built Environment Resilience) Research explores low-cost, resilient landscape infrastructure for water management. Bio: Alpa is Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture at University of Florida and the Executive Director of ‘Critical Places’, a non-profit based in India that works with marginalized communities for developing solutions to issues of the built environment. Alpa is passionately committed to advocating for and developing the role of landscape architecture in creating socio-culturally integrated solutions to water issues, and designs of human habitats in developing countries through her research, practice and teaching. Her scholarship on vernacular water infrastructure systems of water management in India has been published in diverse venues such as Journal of Landscape Architecture, Landscape Journal, Ground Up, Thresholds, and similar. Alpa’s research and creative scholarship has been supported by grants such as the Dumbarton Oaks Mellon Fellowship in Urban Landscape Studies, and the Landscape Architecture Foundation’s (LAF) Fellowship for Innovation and Leadership. Alpa teaches the Advanced Graduate Landscape Design Studio and the Undergraduate Urban Design Studio in addition to capstone/terminal project seminars. She is a recipient of the UF DCP International Educator of the Year Award, and Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) Award for Excellence in Design Studio Teaching. Trained as an architect, landscape architect and urbanist, Alpa brings a rich, multi-disciplinary lens to her work. She holds a post-professional Masters degree in Urban Design from Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD), a Masters degree in Landscape Architecture from Louisiana State University, and a Bachelor in Architecture from NIT, Raipur, India. She is a licensed landscape architect in Kansas, a licensed architect in India, and a LEED AP, and has worked internationally in design offices in India, USA, UAE and Switzerland. Alpa serves as co-chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion research track of CELA and on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Architectural Education JAE, the Alumni Council of Harvard GSD, and the Board of Directors of the LAF.  

Maria C. “Tina” Gurucharri

Maria C. “Tina” Gurucharri

Department of Landscape Architecture
Associate Professor Emeritus

• MLA, Harvard University, Graduate School of Design, 1988
• BLA, University of Florida, 1978

In 1991, Professor Gurucharri joined the faculty at the University of Florida’s Department of Landscape Architecture where she teaches lecture classes and design studios at the graduate and undergraduate level. During her 30-year tenure she served as Department Chair for over 12 years. As Department Chair, Professor Gurucharri oversaw an accredited Bachelor of Landscape Architecture program, an accredited Master of Landscape Architecture, and a Ph.D. concentration in Landscape Architecture. She was also Co-Director of the School of Landscape Architecture & Planning (SLA&P), home to the Department of Urban and Regional Planning and the Department of Landscape Architecture. Professor Gurucharri has conducted research in culture and nature-based tourism to promote conservation and sustainable economic development in Florida and Central America. She has championed the “scholarship of engagement” through the integration of teaching and research through service. She has disseminated this research through national and international publications and presentations. Prior to joining UF, she was in public and private professional practice engaged in domestic and international planning and design projects for 12 years. She received her Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (BLA) from the University of Florida and her Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design.

Dan Manley

Dan Manley

Department of Landscape Architecture
Instructional Assistant Professor, Graduate Coordinator
352‐294-1442
ARCH 431E

• Master of Landscape Architecture, University of Florida, 2001
• Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Duke University, 1998

Areas of Focus: Sustainability (Building Materials) Scholarship and teaching addresses the application of green stormwater infrastructure and sustainable construction materials at the site scale including transportation corridors. Bio: Dan Manley is the Interim Chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture and Acting Associate Director of the School of Landscape Architecture and Planning.  Dan began his teaching career at the University of Florida in 2014 as an Adjunct Lecturer before joining the faculty as a Lecturer in 2016.  He has also served as Undergraduate Coordinator and currently serves as the Graduate Coordinator for the department.  His research and scholarship interests center on construction documentation, green infrastructure, transportation-related design, and professional practice. Dan teaches the construction sequence in the department introducing students to concepts in grading, drainage, and stormwater; horizontal and vertical road alignment; and materials, horizontal layout, and irrigation.  He also assists students in developing business and project management-related skills in the department’s professional practice course.  Dan co-teaches the introductory design studio and has co-taught the design communications course in the summer to incoming graduate students.  Dan has also taught courses in advanced landscape construction, design implementation, and co-led the undergraduate capstone seminar.  He has served as the chair, co-chair, or advisor for numerous capstones and graduate terminal projects in Landscape Architecture, Urban and Regional Planning, and Sustainability in the Built Environment. Dan earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Duke University in 1998 as well as a Master of Landscape Architecture degree from the University of Florida in 2001.  He is a Professional Landscape Architect and practiced for over fifteen years in both Orlando and Gainesville, Florida.  He currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Florida Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects.  

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