My Expertise
I am an expert on digital transformation and the future of work in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) sector, as well as the history and theory of urban technology and the smart city paradigm.
I undertake design research projects that investigate the relationships between digital innovation, design processes, and organisational learning in the AEC sector using action research and qualitative methods.
Keywords
Fields of Research (FoR)
Architecture, Architectural computing and visualisation methods, DesignBiography
Nicole is the Program Director of Computational Design in the School of Built Environment, ADA, UNSW. She is a design researcher, educator, and Registered Architect (NSW ARB 7921) with industry experience in Australia and the United Kingdom. Her teaching and research focus on the recent history of design and urban technology, as well as on current innovations and industry practices in these fields. She has published research articles on...view more
Nicole is the Program Director of Computational Design in the School of Built Environment, ADA, UNSW. She is a design researcher, educator, and Registered Architect (NSW ARB 7921) with industry experience in Australia and the United Kingdom. Her teaching and research focus on the recent history of design and urban technology, as well as on current innovations and industry practices in these fields. She has published research articles on digital transformation in the architecture industry through the lenses of design, learning, labour, and gender. She is the sole-author of the book Scaling the Smart City: The design and ethics of urban technology (Elsevier 2024) and has co-authored over forty peer-reviewed journal articles and conference papers on design technology innovation. Nicole has won and led multiple Commonwealth-funded grants on design technology innovation and the work of Japanese architect Shoei Yoh, and is a Chief Investigator for the $9million (AUD) Australian Research Council (ARC) Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Next Generation Architectural Manufacturing (awarded in 2022). In 2021, Nicole was awarded a UNSW Faculty Research Fellowship. She is a member of the Design Institute of Australia and the Computer Aided Design Research in Asia (CAADRIA) organisation, and held a Chair role for the CAADRIA conference: "Accelerated Design" in 2024, and was co-editor of the CAADRIA “Post-Carbon” conference proceedings in 2022. Nicole is committed to modes of research and teaching that connect theory and practice and researchers and the AEC industry.
My Grants
DFAT Australia-Japan Foundation Grant Round ($46K) 2024
ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Next Generation Architectural Manufacturing ($9million) 2022
DFAT Australia-Japan Foundation Grant Round ($36K) 2021
DFAT Australia-Japan Foundation Grant Round ($25K) 2019
Built Environment Faculty Research Grant ($12K) 2017
UNSW Career Advancement Fund ($8K) 2016
My Qualifications
Registered Architect NSW #7921
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), School of Architecture, DAB, The University of Technology, Sydney, (2018)
Bachelor of Architecture (1st Class Honours), University of Adelaide, (2000)
Bachelor of Design Studies, University of Adelaide, (1998)
My Awards
ADA Faculty Research Fellowship 2021-2022
My Research Supervision
Supervision keywords
Areas of supervision
I am qualified to supervise HDR students in the areas of design research, digital transformation in the AEC sector, the history, theory, and philosophy of design technology and urban technology, and the smart city paradigm.
Currently supervising
I am currently supervising MPhil and PhD candidates who are engaged in practice-based design research, who are investigating the topic of the smart city, and who are exploring digital transformation in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) sector as part of the ARC Centre for Next Generation Architectural Manufacturing.