Niner Knowledge
Designing a Better Future:
Architecture, Nature + Technology
Zoom Webinar
Join us for the next event in UNC Charlotte Alumni Association's lifelong learning program, Niner Knowledge - Designing a Better Future : Architecture, Nature + Technology.
Join us to discover how the structures of tomorrow are being grown, designed, and reimagined today.
What if the future of architecture isn't just about using less energy, but designing buildings that actively work with nature?
Our speakers will explore how cutting-edge research in biomass, natural processes, and smart tech are transforming how we build. Go from static structures to living systems as we examine how architects and researchers alike are bridging nature and technology to redefine sustainable design. This interactive session explores the overlap between their work and the future of sustainable infrastructure.
Meet Your Featured Speakers
Sean A. Gallagher '00
Sean A. Gallagher is a Principal and Director of Sustainable Design at Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Adjunct Faculty at Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, where his work explores the intersection of architecture, ecology, and emerging technologies.
His projects have earned international recognition: the David Rubenstein Forum was named Best Tall Building Worldwide, CanalCafé won the Golden Lion for best participation at the 2025 Venice Biennale, and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum set a new standard for accessible museum design.
Today, Sean is creating an urban forest in the heart of Madrid and rethinking wastewater treatment at the New York Botanical Garden by putting plants to work as infrastructure.
Raised in Appalachia by ecologists, Sean brings a lifelong understanding of nature to his work, exploring how people and natural systems can work together to shape a more sustainable future.
Dr. Kyoung-Hee Kim
Kyoung Hee Kim, Ph.D AIA is a Professor of Architecture at UNC Charlotte and Director of the Integrated Design Research Lab (IDRL), where she leads interdisciplinary research in net-zero design, regenerative building technologies, and high-performance building enclosures. Her work bridges architecture, biology, engineering, and entrepreneurship, with a focus on translating laboratory research into real-world applications, including microalgae-based building systems and building-integrated solar technologies.
Dr. Kim has led more than $2 million in externally funded research supported by the National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, American Institute of Architects, and other organizations. A 2026 National Academy of Inventors Senior Member, she is also founder of EcoClosure, a UNC Charlotte spin-off advancing regenerative façade technologies toward commercialization.
An architect with more than 20 years of industry experience across architecture and engineering, Dr. Kim has contributed to major cultural, institutional, and commercial projects worldwide. She is the author of Microalgae Building Enclosures (Routledge, 2022) and Continuity in Sustainable Facades: Design and Engineering of Tall Building Enclosures in Hot Climates (Springer, 2026), and has published more than 50 peer-reviewed articles.
Dr. Matthew Parrow
Matthew Parrow, Ph.D. is the Associate Dean for Academic Administration in the Klein College of Science. He is a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, where he also served as associate chair for academic programs. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from UNC Chapel Hill and his Ph.D. in Plant & Microbial Biology from North Carolina State University and joined UNC Charlotte in 2006.
His research and teaching interests include microbial cell biology and ecophysiology, harmful algal blooms, phylogenetics of eukaryotic microbes, and applications of algae and fungi in biotechnology, with publications including chapters in “Freshwater Algae of North America,” “Algae: Source to Treatment, Manual of Water Supply Practices,” and other canonical works in the field. At UNC Charlotte he has taught courses in cell biology, plant physiology, and microbiology.
Dr. Parrow is a member of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society, a Fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society, a National Academy of Sciences Kavli Frontiers of Science Fellow, winner of the Luigi Provasoli Award from the Phycological Society of America and has published over 50 scientific articles with students and other collaborators. His commitment to university governance is exemplified by a distinguished record of service to the department, college, and university, demonstrating his appreciation for the importance of service and administration in academia.