Sophia Gruzdys

Prior to joining USC, Sophia served as the director of Undergraduate Studies at Yale College, where she coordinated the interdisciplinary tracks in History/Theory, Urbanism and Design and developed the principal reference documents outlining the Architecture major.

Sophia has taught multiple levels of architectural design studios and seminars, at Cornell University, NYIT and Yale. Most recently, she directed the study abroad programs in Barcelona and Rome for Catholic University of America, Pratt Institute and Yale, and was appointed Visiting Artist at the American Academy in Rome in 2009.

Sophia’s research interests include urbanism and design, architectural representation and its geometries. She maintains an active international professional practice in residential design and has completed projects in New York, Barcelona and London. Her work has been recognized by the Boston Society of Architects, HGTV, and other publications. Before establishing her practice, she worked for I.M. Pei and Partners in New York where she was involved with the design of prestigious commissioned buildings, including the Rock’n Roll Museum in Cleveland.

Sophia is active in roles that bridge U.S. and European design interests and serves on a NAAB visiting team for international certification. She has organized events on Architecture and Urbanism ranging in scale from a multi-day international conference, to educational travel tours for both architects and students. She has contributed articles and writings for “Architectural Record” and has written about European urbanism for “Alto Standing Magazine”, “Outstanding”, and “Living Archaeology in Rome”, published by Roma Tre University.

Sophia is a registered architect in New York State, Ohio and a Board member of the American Institute of Architects Continental Europe Chapter, appointed Vice President in 2020.

Education

• Master of Architecture (M.Arch.) Harvard University Graduate School of Design
• B ARCH Kent State University

Companies

• Lecturer The Catholic University of America (2009)
• Associate Adjunct Professor University of Southern California (2009)
• Partner Craig Nealy Architects (2006)
• Director of Undergraduate Studies, Architecture Yale University (2000 — 2009)
• Assistant Professor Cornell University (1995 — 1998)
• Critic Yale University (1995 — 1997)
• Senior Designer Pei Cobb Freed & Partners (1982 — 1989)
• Instructor Career Discovery Harvard Graduate School of Design (1982 — 1982)

Skills

• Mixed-use
• Architectures
• Urban Planning

Other

Architectural Drawings, SketchUp, Revit, Comprehensive Planning, Architecture, Rhino, Residential Design, Sustainable Design, Design Research, Urban Design, Architectural Design