Ivan Shen

Ivan Shen is a SMArchS Urbanism student at MIT and a research assistant with Ana Miljački’s Critical Broadcasting Lab and Rania Ghosn’s DESIGN EARTH (opens in new tab). Shen holds a Bachelor of Architecture and a BA in Music History and Cultures from Syracuse University, where he graduated as valedictorian. His research spans architecture, urbanism, and music history, with particular interests in transnational infrastructure, informal urbanization, and the relationship between political soundscapes and collective space.

Shen’s work has received numerous national and international design awards, including first prize in the Home of the Next Century competition and recognition from the eVolo Skyscraper Competition and NOMA. His undergraduate thesis, Made in “China”, Remade in Kibera, examined Chinese-built infrastructure and informal urban development in Nairobi through extensive field research and received Syracuse Architecture’s Crown Thesis Award.

Shen has worked with architecture and research practices across four continents, including Perkins&Will, General Architecture Collaborative, and SalazarSequeroMedina. His academic work and community contributions have also been recognized through honors including Syracuse University Scholar and Senior Class Marshal.