Adib Dada
Architectural Design
Beirut, Lebanon
Born and raised in Beirut, Adib Dada earned a BAr in Architecture at the American University of Beirut—Lebanon in 2006 and a Master’s Degree in the Interactive Telecommunications Program at NYU—USA in 2011. His interests lie in the transdisciplinary dialogue between architecture, living systems, technology and art, which he aims to pursue through his design firm theOtherDada.
Alessandra Araujo
Biology
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Since very young the world fascinated me, different culture, people and nature. I travelled a lot, never enough though. The curiosity is my biggest drive and due that I had several jobs, most very unusual for a biologist. It took few years to understand how that knowledge could have a link and make sense. Architecture and biology has lots to do and I am really interested to link even more.
Carolina Fernandez-Jansink
International Business
Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, The Netherlands
I am fond of projects that make the Business Case for Sustainability stronger. Likewise, I am very attracted to projects that give me a sense of connection to Nature and that develop my creativity. I learned about Biomimicry during my master studies, also in The Netherlands; and immediately wanted to learn more about it.
Crystal Halley
Architect & LEED Green Associate
Doha, Qatar
I am a Chartered Architect from Dublin, Ireland where I studied architecture and gained my professional qualification to become MRIAI. I am very interested in all aspects of sustainable design and how the principles of Biomimicry can inform the design process on a day to day basis. I believe we have a responsibility as designers to design with minimal impact to our environment thus creating a healthy and enjoyable world for future generations.
Duke Stump
Business/Branding
Ojai, California, USA
I believe in bonfires. My role is that of a Sherpa, responsible for sparking the bonfires. I find nutrition in the wisdom of nature, the compassion of horsemanship, the vision of Buckminster Fuller and the inspiration of Sister Corita Kent. I believe in adventures that make me uncomfortable…in a good way.
Emily Sadigh
Strategic Sustainability
Berkeley, California, USA
Emily Sadigh designs strategies for the public sector, businesses, and universities to build the green economy. With Alameda County Sustainability, Emily applies change management tools to promote broad-based participation in climate action. As an advisory board member of Young Women Social Entrepreneurs-San Francisco, she connects innovators with resources to support new social ventures. She developed the peer education program in sustainable campus living at Harvard University, where she earned an M.Ed. and BA.
Ethan Smith
Industrial Design
Portland, Oregon, USA
Ethan works with management teams and noded professional networks to craft meaningful and engaging experiences via integrated industrial, interactive, and brand design. Well versed in appropriate technologies and the principles of ecological design, Ethan has helped push the boundaries of sustainable design and development with a diverse array of organizations.
Ines Cristina Machicao Francke
Biologist, Natura Cosméticos
São Paulo, Brazil
I am a bachelor in Biological Sciences, and experimented a great variety of fields during my years of college, such as immunology and genetics, but really fell in love with behavioral ecology. In Natura since 2007, where I began as a trainee, I worked mainly in the Sustainability and Research departments. My activities today as a scientific manager include developing new tools for environmental impact assessment and introducing biomimicry to our culture.
Jane Toner
Architect, Sustainable Built Environments
Kew, Victoria, Australia
Jane is an architect and Senior Associate at Sustainable Built Environments in Melbourne, Australia, where she has worked as a sustainability consultant since 2003. In studying biomimicry, Jane hopes to gain inspiration from nature’s innovation, expanding her knowledge and applying it to create more joyous, biodiverse, sustainable environments.
Julie Sammons
Biologist/Business Advisor
San Francisco, California, USA
Julie Sammons is a biologist and business advisor who applies strategies from living systems to help organizations learn, evolve, and thrive in increasingly complex environments. She is the CEO (Chief Experimentation Officer) of ZOIC Labs, a California Benefit Corporation that develops tools for applied biomimicry in the business sector. The company itself is an experiment in biomimetic design, operating as a living organism with life’s principles written into the articles of incorporation.
| Karim Dada Engineering London, UKKarim Dada is a young engineer who was born in a world of Design and fascinated by the Mechanics and Physics of the Natural Environment. Raised in Beirut, Lebanon, he developed his interests in the engineering field at a young age and went on to explore the building blocks of our physical world. |
Laurel Tincher
Cinematic Arts Production
Portola Valley, California, USA
Born in the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area, Laurel developed a love and appreciation for the natural wonders of the Earth at an early age. She also dove into creative endeavor she could, including theatre, painting, piano, fashion design, singing and photography. Biomimicry has been an interest of Laurel’s ever since Middle School when a biomimicry company came to speak to one of her classes, so she is extremely excited to begin studies in the field!
Linda Paisley
Biology, Architecture, Sustainable Business
Houston, Texas, USA
I graduated from University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Biology and received my Masters from the University of Houston in Architecture. I am a Master Gardener and a Master Naturalist. I am a current Board Member of the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center and the Blackwood Land Institute.
Marsha Grizwin
Textile Design
Seattle, Washington, USA
Marsha Grizwin has a degree in Textile Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC. After exploring several applied design disciplines Marsha knew she met her calling when she discovered textiles. Pattern design it seemed was the gateway for exploring nature in all its forms. She is hopeful that through the new field of Biomimicry, nature as sustainable teacher can guide product innovation and transform how we arrive at and execute these solutions.
| Phillippa Hance Civil Engineer Cape Town, South AfricaSoon after graduating as a Civil Engineer I took my backpack and moved into a tent for a year in the middle of an African savanna. It was there that I became a nature addict and where I experienced the cycle of life in all its glory and brutality. I’m so excited to be part of something that can and will change the world for the better. From Construction to Re-struction! |
Rebeca Mora
Biologist
San Jose, Costa Rica
I am a biologist, photographer and yoga teacher from the lovely, green and tiny Costa Rica. I’m currently studying my PhD in biological control at the University of Costa Rica (UCR). I have been working as an Innovation Manager at University of Costa Rica’s Office for the Management and Transfer of Knowledge for Innovation (PROINNOVA) since 2007.
Tony Cipolle
Educator, Co-op Family Center, University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon, USA
Tony is an early childhood educator at a Reggio Emilia-inspired preschool. Working with children as capable researchers, Tony sees Nature as the classroom, the textbook, the laboratory, the materials, and the test. He believes that the only solution to the world’s environmental challenges is to foster a new generation of Biomimics with higher aspirations than ours.
Trisha Brown
Finance/Outreach
Rocky River, Ohio, USA
An urban planner by education and nature, I come to new situations wearing that lens, looking for the big picture harmony and searching for how the pieces fit together in a way to support that. Truly my more meaningful and deeper experience comes from the privilege of raising my three sons and experiencing life in different parts of this country and world.