The Department of Architecture proudly recognizes the Fall 2025 cohort of Doctor of Design (DDes) graduates as they prepare to cross the stage at FIU’s Commencement Ceremony. This year’s graduating class represents an exceptional group of scholar-practitioners whose work advances the field through innovation, critical inquiry, and design research with real-world impact.
Throughout their time in the program, these candidates have pushed the boundaries of applied design research across areas such as advanced technologies, environmental systems, computational design, and emerging frameworks for the built environment. Their projects reflect both the rigor of doctoral-level investigation and the values that define FIU Architecture: a commitment to design excellence, interdisciplinary thinking, and global engagement.
As they complete their doctoral journeys, we celebrate their achievements and the contributions they bring to the profession and the academy. Their research enriches the ongoing dialogue about how design can address contemporary challenges, improve communities, and shape a more resilient and equitable future.
Spotlighting the Fall 2025 Doctor of Design Graduates
As part of this celebration, the Doctor of Design (DDes) program highlights the following graduates, whose doctoral research exemplifies the program’s commitment to applied scholarship, professional rigor, and design innovation across global contexts.
Deepti Zachariah
Affiliation: Copenhagen Business School
Deepti Zachariah brings over 15 years of professional experience into her doctoral research, bridging practice and academia through a deeply reflective and forward-looking body of work. Her dissertation, Entangled: Rethinking Design and Craft for the Digital Age, critically examines the evolving relationship between digital technologies, craft, and design intelligence.
Through the DDes program, Zachariah developed advanced research methodologies and authored a monograph, which she plans to publish as a book for a broader audience. Her academic career continues to expand internationally, including an academic position at Copenhagen Business School and guest lectures at institutions across Europe, while actively building academic networks in the United States. Her research also informs her consultancy practice, where she provides strategic guidance to luxury artisanal businesses navigating digital transformation.
Dissertation Committee:
Neil Leach (FIU)
John Stuart (FIU)
Mette Thomesen (Royal Danish Academy, Copenhagen)
Website: www.deepti.zachariah.com
Margaret Kirk
Affiliation: Visiting Critic, Cornell University Architecture
Margaret Kirk’s doctoral research focuses on environmental performance, energy resilience, and innovative building systems. Her dissertation, Active Facades: Developing Micro Wind Energy Harvesters for Distributed Energy and Carbon Neutrality, explores how architectural envelopes can actively contribute to decentralized energy production and climate-responsive design.
Reflecting on her experience, Kirk credits the DDes program with strengthening her critical thinking and expanding her technical and research skills through mentorship and collaboration. As she moves forward, she plans to apply her research toward creating more resilient, equitable, and sustainable built environments through both academic and professional practice.
Dissertation Committee:
Thomas Spiegelhalter (FIU)
Gray Read (FIU)
Amal El-Ghazaly (Cornell University)
Marcelo Ertorteguy
Affiliation: Florida International University
Marcelo Ertorteguy describes his DDes experience as both intense and rewarding, marked by deep inquiry into creativity, systems, and design intelligence. His dissertation, Paralogical Machines: Instruments for Unlocking Creativity, investigates alternative design instruments and frameworks that challenge conventional modes of thinking and production.
Looking ahead, Ertorteguy plans to continue developing his research, expand his professional practice, and produce scholarly publications that extend the impact of his doctoral work. His research contributes to ongoing conversations around creativity, computation, and experimental design methodologies.
Dissertation Committee:
Neil Leach (FIU)
Katarzyna Balug (FIU)
Francisco Martin (UCV)
Ronald Dean McMurry
Affiliations: NSF-CREST Research Fellow; FIU Ratcliffe Art + Design Incubator Fellow
Ronald Dean McMurry’s doctoral work examines the intersection of ecological systems, infrastructure, and architectural design. His dissertation, Hybrid Infrastructure: Exploring Mangrove Architecture through Coastal Resilience, investigates mangrove ecosystems as architectural and infrastructural models for adaptive coastal resilience.
Reflecting on his experience, McMurry notes that the program strengthened his research and fabrication skills while reinforcing the value of interdisciplinary design thinking. He plans to continue this work through professional practice, applied research, and teaching focused on resilient and ecological design.
Dissertation Committee:
Shahin Vassigh (FIU School of Architecture)
Ebru Ozer (FIU School of Architecture)
Michael Ross (Earth & Environment)
Website: mcmurry-arguello.com
Ji Qi
Ji Qi’s doctoral research explores the role of immersive technologies in architectural communication and early-stage environmental decision-making. Her dissertation, Designing Immersive Communication Environments (DICE): A Virtual Reality Architectural Communication Framework for Early-Stage Multi-Stakeholder Environmental Simulation, proposes a virtual reality–based framework that enhances collaboration, understanding, and engagement among diverse stakeholders during the design process.
By integrating architectural representation, simulation, and immersive media, Ji Qi’s work advances new modes of spatial communication that support complex environmental scenarios and interdisciplinary dialogue.
Dissertation Committee:
Neil Leach (FIU)
Biayna Bogosian (FIU)
The School of Architecture proudly congratulates the full Fall 2025 Doctor of Design cohort on the successful completion of their doctoral studies:
Aidan Ackerman
Dean McMurry
Deepti Zachariah
Ji Qi
Margaret Kirk
Marcelo Ertorteguy
Misri Patel
Teri Watson
Lyla Wu
This cohort reflects the breadth of research, disciplinary perspectives, and professional trajectories that define the Doctor of Design program while advancing FIU’s strategic priorities through student and faculty success, research excellence, and strategic alliances. Through applied, interdisciplinary research and global engagement, these graduates contribute new knowledge and strengthen partnerships across academic, professional, and international contexts, exemplifying leadership in design research and innovation.
