IAAC Alumni Dialogues: Careers, Innovation & Impact
Date: Tuesday, April 8th
Time: 16:30 – 17:45 (Central European Time)
Location: Online (Zoom)
Join us for an inspiring online event featuring five IAAC alumni sharing their key insights about their IAAC experience, career journeys, and innovative projects.
This session brings together alumni from different master’s programmes to showcase the diverse impact of IAAC’s community worldwide.
Each speaker will give a short talk, followed by a moderated discussion with our Alumni Officer, and audience Q&A.
Moderator: Alex Mademochoritis, IAAC Alumni Officer
Guest Alumni:
Alex Mademochoritis, is a Greek-French urbanist with a degree in Interior Architecture and Design from the University of West Attica and a Master’s in City & Technology (MaCT) from IAAC.
From 2017 to 2022, he coordinated IAAC’s MaCT program and taught in the Advanced Architecture Group. In 2022-2023, he served as IAAC’s Admissions Manager while continuing his teaching. Since 2023, Alex has led IAAC’s Alumni Relations and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Urban and Spatial Planning at the University Gustave Eiffel in Paris.
Graduated: 2023
Degree: Master in Advanced Architecture, Two-Year Programme
Country: USA
Yerwant is an architect with a diverse background in both practice and education. He holds a Master’s degree from the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts (ALBA) and a Postgraduate Master’s from the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC). With over a decade of experience, Yerwant has contributed to projects worldwide, particularly in the Middle East, the United States, and Europe.
His work spans residential, cultural, hospitality, and commercial sectors, as well as smaller-scale artistic, experiential, and object-oriented design projects. He has collaborated with leading studios, including External Reference Architecture Bureau and IAAC’s Advanced Architecture Group, focusing on data-driven algorithmic design, design-to-production workflows, digital fabrication, environmental optimization, and generative AI. His approach emphasizes sustainability and nature-based design solutions.
Currently, Yerwant leads Atopos, his own cross-disciplinary design practice, where he explores the intersections of architecture, art, technology, and ecology, blurring the boundaries between disciplines.
Graduated: 2024
Degree Master in Robotics and Advanced Construction, Two-Year Programme
Country: India
Hritik Thumar is an architect with a Master’s in Robotics and Advanced Construction from IAAC in Barcelona. His journey spans designing Tropical Modernist projects in Vietnam to exploring computational design, AI, and machine learning during his time at Coop Himmelb(l)au in Vienna. Currently, he works as a robotics expert with the engineering and production team at La Máquina in Barcelona, focusing on advanced fabrication technologies in architecture. Proficient in tools like Grasshopper, machine learning, and hardware programming, he is passionate about fostering innovation in architectural and digital fabrication processes, shaping a future where architecture transcends traditional boundaries through technology and creativity.
Graduated: 2019
Degree: Master in Design for Emergent Futures, One-Year Programme
Country: Greece
Vasiliki (Vicky) Simitopoulou. Vicky is a Futures Scenarios & Strategies Designer with a background in architectural engineering (DUTh) and a Master in Design for Emergent Futures (IAAC). She combines architecture with sociology, psychology, and politics, has worked with FabLab Barcelona, and has been active in academia since 2014, presenting at international conferences. An award-winning designer, she currently works with Ploes on EU-funded projects, focusing on strategic planning and storytelling for inclusive, sustainable futures.
Graduated: 2022
Degree: Master in City & Technology, One-Year Programme
Country: USA
Ocean works at the intersection of real estate development, urban technology, and business strategy. He focuses on innovation in the built environment by connecting ideas across disciplines and markets. He holds a Bachelor of Science from RIT, a Master of City & Technology from IAAC, and a Master of Science in Real Estate development from MIT.
Graduated: 2022
Degree: Master in Advanced Computation for Architecture & Design
Country: Canada
Amanda Gioia is an Associate Practice Technology Leader at HED, specializing in computational design and the strategic implementation of BIM and innovative technologies across Workplace, Housing, and Mixed-Use projects. A licensed architect with experience in Canada and the USA, she is passionate about integrating machine learning and generative design into architectural workflows. An experienced leader, mentor, and educator, Amanda is also a frequent speaker in the field of computational design.
Alex Mademochoritis, is a Greek-French urbanist with a degree in Interior Architecture and Design from the University of West Attica and a Master’s in City & Technology (MaCT) from IAAC.
From 2017 to 2022, he coordinated IAAC’s MaCT program and taught in the Advanced Architecture Group. In 2022-2023, he served as IAAC’s Admissions Manager while continuing his teaching. Since 2023, Alex has led IAAC’s Alumni Relations and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Urban and Spatial Planning at the University Gustave Eiffel in Paris.
Graduated: 2023
Degree: Master in Advanced Architecture, Two-Year Programme
Country: USA
Yerwant is an architect with a diverse background in both practice and education. He holds a Master’s degree from the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts (ALBA) and a Postgraduate Master’s from the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC). With over a decade of experience, Yerwant has contributed to projects worldwide, particularly in the Middle East, the United States, and Europe.
His work spans residential, cultural, hospitality, and commercial sectors, as well as smaller-scale artistic, experiential, and object-oriented design projects. He has collaborated with leading studios, including External Reference Architecture Bureau and IAAC’s Advanced Architecture Group, focusing on data-driven algorithmic design, design-to-production workflows, digital fabrication, environmental optimization, and generative AI. His approach emphasizes sustainability and nature-based design solutions.
Currently, Yerwant leads Atopos, his own cross-disciplinary design practice, where he explores the intersections of architecture, art, technology, and ecology, blurring the boundaries between disciplines.
Graduated: 2024
Degree Master in Robotics and Advanced Construction, Two-Year Programme
Country: India
Hritik Thumar is an architect with a Master’s in Robotics and Advanced Construction from IAAC in Barcelona. His journey spans designing Tropical Modernist projects in Vietnam to exploring computational design, AI, and machine learning during his time at Coop Himmelb(l)au in Vienna. Currently, he works as a robotics expert with the engineering and production team at La Máquina in Barcelona, focusing on advanced fabrication technologies in architecture. Proficient in tools like Grasshopper, machine learning, and hardware programming, he is passionate about fostering innovation in architectural and digital fabrication processes, shaping a future where architecture transcends traditional boundaries through technology and creativity.
Graduated: 2019
Degree: Master in Design for Emergent Futures, One-Year Programme
Country: Greece
Vasiliki (Vicky) Simitopoulou. Vicky is a Futures Scenarios & Strategies Designer with a background in architectural engineering (DUTh) and a Master in Design for Emergent Futures (IAAC). She combines architecture with sociology, psychology, and politics, has worked with FabLab Barcelona, and has been active in academia since 2014, presenting at international conferences. An award-winning designer, she currently works with Ploes on EU-funded projects, focusing on strategic planning and storytelling for inclusive, sustainable futures.
Graduated: 2022
Degree: Master in City & Technology, One-Year Programme
Country: USA
Ocean works at the intersection of real estate development, urban technology, and business strategy. He focuses on innovation in the built environment by connecting ideas across disciplines and markets. He holds a Bachelor of Science from RIT, a Master of City & Technology from IAAC, and a Master of Science in Real Estate development from MIT.
Graduated: 2022
Degree: Master in Advanced Computation for Architecture & Design
Country: Canada
Amanda Gioia is an Associate Practice Technology Leader at HED, specializing in computational design and the strategic implementation of BIM and innovative technologies across Workplace, Housing, and Mixed-Use projects. A licensed architect with experience in Canada and the USA, she is passionate about integrating machine learning and generative design into architectural workflows. An experienced leader, mentor, and educator, Amanda is also a frequent speaker in the field of computational design.