Valentina SuminiAlumni
Valentina Sumini is a Postdoctoral Associate at the MIT MediaLab in Tangible Media, investigating human-material and inter-material interaction for sustaining astronaut life in space.
Her previous postdoctoral research at MIT in the Digital Structures Research Group aimed to explore form finding and structural optimization strategies for deep space exploration habitats on extra planetary surfaces such as the Moon and Mars. New computational design methods for human-material interactions and space surface habitats, that respond to architectural, structural, functional and physical requirements were explored, offering new ways to support future space exploration.
During the AA 2015-16 she was Adjunct Professor at Politecnico di Milano teaching structural design.
In 2014, she completed her Ph.D. at Politecnico di Milano (visiting for almost a year the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago) focusing on the structural assessment of historical reinforced concrete high-rise buildings in Milano and Chicago. After receiving her Bachelor of Science in Architecture at Politecnico di Torino, she earned two Master Degrees, Construction and Architecture, in 2010 respectively at Politecnico di Torino and Politecnico di Milano (Visiting TU Delf for a semester in the Hyperbody Research Group for her Erasmus Exchange Program).
