The University of Southern California (USC) School of Architecture has announced the appointment of its newest program directors: Effective May 16, 2020, associate professor Doris Sung will serve as director of Undergraduate Programs, and associate professor Alvin Huang serving as the director of Graduate & Post-Professional Architecture Programs.
As program directors, Sung and Huang will oversee the academic aspects of USC Architecture’s existing and developing programs, working closely with the school’s dean, administrators, faculty, and students to steer future programming.
“I’m excited to announce the appointments of Doris and Alvin as new program directors,” wrote Milton S. F. Curry, dean of USC Architecture, in a press statement. “They both bring a wealth of professional and academic design and research experience to these leadership positions and I am confident that they will elevate our undergraduate and graduate architecture programs to new levels.”
Sung joined the USC Architecture faculty in 2006 after holding teaching appointments at SCI-Arc, the University of Colorado, and the Catholic University of America. She is also the founder of Los Angeles-based DO-SU Studio Architecture, which has won numerous awards since opening in 1991. Guided by a belief in the potential for buildings to be more sensitive to the changing environment, Sung’s research highlights the convergence between active systems and sustainable design. She is currently developing smart ‘thermobimetals’ with the ability to automatically self-ventilate, self-shade, self-structure, self-assemble, and self-propel in response to temperature changes. She received her M.Arch from Columbia University and her B.A. in architecture from Princeton University.
Huang is the founder and design principal of Synthesis Design + Architecture (SDA). An alumnus of USC Architecture, he joined the faculty in 2011. His work spans multiple scales and forms, but retains a focus on the integrated application of material performance, emergent design technologies, and digital fabrication. He received his M.Arch from the Architectural Association and his B.Arch from USC.
