Faculty
Jill Desimini, Director and Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture
Research Interests: Urban abandonment, urban wilds, land valuation, land banking, property reform, climate justice, co-design, cartographic practice
Recent Work: Cyclical City, From Fallow, More From Fallow, Landscape & Climate, Climate Justice Design Fellowship
Education: Master of Landscape Architecture/Master of Architecture, University of Pennsylvania; Bachelor of Arts, Urban Studies, Brown University
Contact: jill.desimini@uconn.edu
Mariana Fragomeni, Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture
Research Interests: Climate adaptation and decision-making, heat vulnerability, urban climatology, human bioclimatology, urban design, applied research
Recent Work: Google Scholar
Education: Doctor of Philosophy, University of Georgia; Masters in Environmental Planning and Design, University of Georgia; Bachelor of Architecture and Urbanism, Universidade Federal da Bahia.
Contact: mariana.fragomeni@uconn.edu
Sohyun Park, Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture
Research Interests: Urban nature, urban biodiversity, socio-ecological systems, geospatial analytics, green infrastructure, sustainable cities and landscapes, community resilience, well-being
Recent Work: Covid rekindled an appreciation of nature, Operationalizing urban biodiversity, park.psla.uconn.edu, cv
Education: Doctor of Philosophy, Arizona State University; Master of Landscape Architecture, Seoul National University, Bachelor of Science, Biology, Sookmyung Women’s University.
Contact: sohyun.park@uconn.edu
Julia Smachylo, Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture
Research Interests: Environmental governance, urban political economy, critical visualization, urban theory, environmental design, and social mobilization
Recent Work: Towards a Critical Glossary of Extraction, New Geographies 10: Fallow, Lying Fallow: the Value of Idleness, Nature of Enclosure, Agents of Design
Education: Doctor of Design, Harvard University; Master of Urban Design, University of Toronto; Master of International Planning, University College London; Bachelor of Arts, Geography, Queen’s University.
Contact: julia.smachylo@uconn.edu
Graduate Students
Zahra Ali, Ph.D. Student
Research Interests: Nature and place-based education, equitable access to nature, socio-ecological systems, urban ecology, human well-being
Advisor: Dr. Sohyun Park
Recent Work: Zahra Ali joined the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture Ph.D. program in Fall 2022. Zahra holds an M.S. in Global Affairs, with a specialization in energy and environmental policy from New York University, and a B.S. in International Business from the University of Rhode Island.
Her research focus is on the impacts of outdoor learning environments and nature/place-based curricula on learning outcomes, health, wellness, and long-term relationships with the environment—with a focus on equitable access to nature in urban communities both locally and globally.
Prior to starting her doctoral studies, Zahra was the Director of the Global Partnerships & Outreach, in UConn’s Office of Global Affairs. She worked in collaboration with faculty, university leadership, and partners around the world to advance UConn’s global initiatives and foster engagement with global networks.
In addition to being a research assistant for Dr. Sohyun Park, Zahra continues to serve on working groups for the Office of Global Affairs to develop initiatives on Mindfulness for Earth and the Tree of Life.
Education: MS New York University, BS University of Rhode Island
Contact: zahra.ali@uconn.edu
Tracey Miller: Ph.D. Student
Research Interests: Resource-sensitive design for water infrastructure resilience; the interface between landscape architecture, anthropogenic development, and riparian (rivers, streams, and wetlands) stewardship.
Advisor: Dr. Mariana Fragomeni
Recent Work: CIRCA Heat Report
Education: Master of Landscape Architecture, University of Virginia
Contact: tracey.2.miller@uconn.edu
Pan Zhang, Ph.D. Candidate
Research Interests: Cities as a social-ecological system, urban morphology, landscape ecology, geospatial analysis, urban vacant land management, environmental justice
Advisor: Dr. Sohyun Park
Recent Work: see Pan Zhang's Website
Education: MSLA University of Connecticut, BA Nanjing Agricultural University
Contact: pan.zhang@uconn.edu
Undergraduate Students
| Seniors | Juniors |
| Samuel Bushka Elisabeth Helmin Ziqi Li John Mooney Richard Patai Nancy Pan Ahren Ramirez Andrew Simmons Mia Tunnicci Abigail Varga Owen Wollenberg |
Iris Armstrong
Matthew Bacon Siesel Canaday Christian Carmona Fatima Cisneros Ortega Darren Cole Atlas Collazo Sean-Patrick Houssan Sydnie Jacobsen Zachary Masi Brendan Pugmire Jason Robinson Lucas Silva Britney Soubannarath Alexander Vassallo Kayla Villareal Haley Vitko Cassidy Wilson Annie Zhu |