Dear Colleagues,
I’m pleased to announce the appointment of Ryan Smith as director of the School of Design and Construction. Ryan’s appointment will begin July 1, 2018.
Ryan comes to us from the University of Utah’s College of Architecture and Planning, where he served as associate dean for research and community engagement. In that position, he encouraged the development of research teams, which led to a doubling of grant applications and externally funded projects over the course of three years. He also led external funding raising efforts as well the college’s research and outreach strategic planning process. Ryan was the founder and director of the college’s Integrated Technology in Architecture Center, an interdisciplinary research center focused on sustainable building technologies.
His scholarship is focused on architectural production and, in particular, prefab design and construction. He has developed methods for quantifying the cost and schedule performance of panelized and modular built projects. Ryan has also worked to determine the amount of timber used and the ecological impact of wood prefabricated products.
Ryan has conducted more than $3 million in research since 2005 with support from public and private agencies, including from the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Energy, and Veterans Affairs, and has authored or co-authored five books and numerous journal articles.
He holds a Master of Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Arizona.
I would like to thank Greg Kessler for his leadership as interim director during the past 14 months and for his continued work during this transition.
Please join me in welcoming Ryan to WSU!
Mary Rezac, Dean
Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture
Voiland.dean@wsu.edu