EDUCATION:
2012 MSc, Community and Regional Planning, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
2006 MArch, Architecture, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
1997 BArch, Architecture, Mysore University, Hassan
Countries: India, USA
States: Karnataka, New Mexico, Pennsylvania
Cities: Bangalore, Albuquerque, Philadelphia
Languages: English, Hindi, Kannada
Smitha was a Professor of Architecture, and Program Coordinator at the Center for Smart and Sustainable Technologies, SJB School of Architecture and Planning (SJB SAP), Bangalore, India. At SJB SAP, context-sensitive design possibilities, equity, access and historical influences have been central to her teaching. Smitha MB has lead and coordinated studio teams, which explored methods to incorporate larger concerns impacting built environments through analytical studies and design projects at the undergraduate level. In addition to teaching theory and studio courses, her academic engagements included international collaborations, faculty-curated international architectural tours and coordinating architectural research as the first recipient of a Science and Technology grant for architectural research from the Vision Group for Science and Technology, Government of Karnataka, India. As an academic Planning Consultant for the Center for Sustainable Development, Bangalore, a not-for-profit organisation, Smitha contributed to the review of the BIAPA (Bangalore International Airport Planning Area) Master Plan.
Smitha has held various academic and professional positions in the USA and India. These include independent architectural and planning consultancies in India; health care planning at the University of Pennsylvania Health Systems (UPHS), Penn Medicine, Philadelphia, USA; teaching engagements at Temple University, USA, the University of New Mexico, USA, and at various institutions in Bangalore, India.
With a strong belief in interdisciplinary collaboration, her interests in the Architecture and Planning disciplines include: Food Systems Planning; Accessibility oriented Transportation Planning and Policies; and Planning and Design of Health Care facilities. Her special interests lie in the expressions of identity, modifications of cultural markers and the intersections of built environment and public health.
Smitha is a registered architect in India and her professional practice focused on home renovations to facilitate safe aging-in-place, and to meet the needs of contemporary multi-generational households.
At IIHS, Smitha works with Academics & Research team and is responsible for the preparatory activities, programme delivery and also on the proposed IIHS MUP and PhD programmes in Urban Practice. Additionally, she assists in setting up and managing various administrative systems and processes.