Isabella Trindade, Ph.D.

Biography

Isabella Trindade is an architect, interior designer, educator, and researcher with more than 20 years of experience in academic and professional design practice. Her teaching encompasses undergraduate and graduate courses in design studio, the history and theory of architecture and interiors, digital and traditional fabrication, computational media, and senior capstone studios. Her pedagogy integrates emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) in design processes and Virtual Reality (VR) in history and theory courses and design studio reviews.

Trindade’s research focuses on architectural history, theory, and criticism, with particular emphasis on mid-century modern architecture and interiors in the post–World War II period. Her scholarship examines cultural exchange between Europe, North America, and Latin America and its influence on architectural and interior design, with a particular focus on Brazil.

Her professional practice spans Brazil, Canada, France, Spain, and the United States and includes built projects, interior design, competition entries, and award-winning work. This transnational experience informs both her teaching and research, allowing her to bring a global and culturally engaged perspective to design education.

Trindade has published in peer-reviewed journals, conference proceedings, and edited volumes and regularly presents her research at national and international conferences. Her publications include the book chapter Adaptive Reuse in Brazil: Lessons from Lina Bo Bardi (Routledge, 2023). Her research has also been presented at venues including the DOCOMOMO US National Symposium (2024), the DOCOMOMO International Conference in Japan (2021), the Architecture & Film Virtual Symposium (2021), and the Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) Annual Conference (2021). She also serves as a peer reviewer for scholarly journals in architecture and design.

She is currently co-editing the book Women Architects in Latin America: History, Practices, and Emerging Perspectives, which brings together scholarship on the professional trajectories, practices, and contributions of women architects across Latin America. The volume seeks to expand the history of architecture in the region by highlighting women’s diverse roles, experiences, and contributions to architectural practice, education, research, and the built environment.

Education

Ph.D., Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain
M. Arch, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil
Postgraduate Coursework – Cours d’Études Approfondies en Architecture (CEAA): Architecture, City, Heritage and Development: Disruptions and Continuities, École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture et de Paysage de Bordeaux – ensapBx, Bordeaux, France
B.Arch., Federal University of Pernambuco (Universidade Federal de Pernambuco), Recife, Brazil

Awards/Recognition

• Lecture’s Professional Development Grant 2025-2026. Sponsored by Faculty Career Development, Office of Faculty Affairs. Rochester Institute of Technology. USD $ 1,500 in funding.
• The Provost’s Learning Innovation Grants program (PLIG) 2025. Sponsored by Center for Teaching and Learning. Rochester Institute of Technology. USD $ 5,000 in funding.
• Interior Design Educator Concil (IDEC) 2024 Service Award for the significant contribution to IDEC as the Grant Coordinator.
• Best Architectural History & Theory Expert 2024 (Americas). Architecture Awards 2024 hosted by BUILD Magazine
• Lecture’s Professional Development Grant 2023-2024. Sponsored by Faculty Career Development, Office of Faculty Affairs. Rochester Institute of Technology. USD $ 2,000 in funding.
• 3rd Prize Winner, Bee Breeders. Toronto Affordable Housing Challenge / Affordable Housing International Competition Series. Awarded project: LaneWAY of Living: Green Villages in the Heart of Toronto’s Urban Fabric. Toronto, 202. https://architecturecompetitions.com/torontochallenge/ [2021]
• Dean’s Teaching Award 2020 (CUPE 1), Toronto Metropolitan University (Formerly Ryerson University), Faculty of Communication & Design – FCAD [2020]