Dr. Davide Lombardi
Head of Department
Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University
Davide Lombardi is a chartered architect and scholar, holding a degree in Architecture with honors (BA+MA, Università degli Studi Gabriele d’Annunzio) and a Ph.D. degree in Architecture (School of Advanced Studies Gabriele d’Annunzio).
Before joining XJTLU, he served at The University of Edinburgh as Teaching Fellow in Digital Architecture and Design.
He currently serves the Department of Architecture by holding the role as Head of Department. During the last years, he has been instrumental in creating streamlined processes to smoothen the regular operations related to departmental academic life. He took the lead in aspects such as students’ exchange schemes development, students’ admission pathways creation, curricula modifications and improvements, ensuring the compliance with academic and professional body’s quality standards, marketing and outreach, IT coordination and procurement. He acquired experience related to professional accreditation schemes (RIBA), being part of the successful revalidation obtained by the UG and PH programs in 2019.
He is a member of Design School committees and liaises with University level units.
His interest in computational tools and strategies led him to investigate the impact of cutting-edge techniques in the field of blockchain technologies applied to the AEC industry, robotic fabrication and gamification of architectural education.
His research has been published in books, journals and conference proceedings via key-note speeches in international universities (Oxford-Brookes Rome Visiting School, Nanjing University, Beijing Institute of Fashion and Technology, Royal University of Bhutan, UDLAP Puebla).
He has been awarded a number of national and international grants for his research (Italy, Scotland, China).
Teaching wise, he is the supervisor of several Ph.D. candidates in XJTLU and UoL, Module Leader for the M/Arch final year project and delivers lectures for multiple modules within the BEng program. He also co-supervises UG and PG thesis in the civil engineering program.
Further, he organises extra-curricular workshops around digital architecture with international experts in digital representation, advanced structural design, and decentralisation in architecture.
As a professional, he collaborates with various architecture firms on large-scale international projects and small design proposals in different countries (Italy, China, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Greece, Serbia).