Architecture & Design dean candidate Mahbub Rashid to present Feb. 24

LAWRENCE – The final candidate for the University of Kansas School of Architecture & Design dean position will give his public presentation from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 24 in The Forum at Marvin Hall. Mahbub Rashid is the last candidate who will present publicly on his approach to leadership, how he emphasizes design thinking and his insights on the key areas of emphasis for the school over the next five years.

A livestream of Rashid’s presentation will be available here, and the passcode is 387242.

Rashid is a tenured full professor in the KU School of Architecture & Design. He currently serves as the interim dean of the school, a position he’s held since 2019. He has also served as the associate dean for research and graduate studies since 2014 and director of the master’s and doctoral programs since 2008. Rashid joined the faculty at KU as an associate professor of design in 2005 and rose to his current rank of professor of architecture in 2011. During the 2018-19 school year, he was named a KU Senior Administrative Fellow, a distinction given to a small group of faculty members each year.

Rashid came to KU from the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he earned his doctorate. Rashid spent his final three years at Georgia Tech as a research scientist in the College of Architecture. In 2005, Rashid was awarded the Faculty Research Integration Award at Georgia Tech.

Rashid earned his Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. With a Master of Science in Architectural Studies from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a doctorate in architecture from Georgia Tech, he is an expert in theories and methods of architectural research with a focus on the structures of built form and space.

Rashid uses an innovative spatial and social network, fractal and statistical analysis along with more traditional research methods and methodologies to study the effects of build form and space on human behavior, psychology, society and culture in the office, health care and urban environments.

Registered as an architect in Georgia, Rashid also works as an architectural consultant for architectural design firms. He is a nationally known expert on intensive care unit (ICU) design and evidence-based health care design.

Rashid has more than 90 peer-reviewed publications, and his second book, “Physical Space and Spatiality in Muslim Societies: Notes on the Social Production of Cities,” came out in August 2021 from the University of Michigan Press.

A recording of Rashid’s presentation will be available to view Feb. 25. His presentation will be 30-45 minutes, with a short question-and-answer session to follow. Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to offer their impressions and observations of each candidate online. Feedback is due by 5 p.m. March 1.

More information about the school and the search committee can be found online.