Nancy Morgado Diniz

Biography

Nancy Diniz is a registered architect, biodesigner and educator with a multidisciplinary background in architecture and computational design. She is Course Leader of the MA Biodesign at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, and co-founder and partner of bioMATTERS studio. Her research and practice explore the convergence of design, ecology, and digital technologies, with a focus on living materials, bio-digital craft, AI and data-driven responsive systems.

Nancy has co-authored two books, twelve book chapters and over sixty peer-reviewed publications. She has curated a range of symposia and exhibitions addressing emerging themes in biodesign and ecological aesthetics. Her work has been exhibited internationally at the Museum of Architecture and Design Ljubljana, Lisbon Architecture Triennale, Venice Architecture Biennale (GAA Foundation), NYCxDESIGN, MAO and the London Design Festival, among others.

She is the recipient of numerous awards, grants and fellowships, including the Heritage Crafts Award in Environmental Sustainability 2025, Architectural League of New York Independent Project Grants (2024 and 2016), the Museum of Architecture and Design + Center Rog Ljubljana, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Makers with a Mission, Somerset House, NEW INC (NY), FutureWorks NYC, MacDowell Colony, Seoul Art Space Geumcheon, EYEBEAM, and the Foundation for Science and Technology Portugal.

Nancy is co-editor of Data, Matter, Design: Strategies in Computational Design (Routledge, 2020), and editor of Bio-Calibrated: Tools and Techniques of Biodesign Practices (Research Directions: Biotechnology Design, Cambridge University Press Assessment, 2023).

Prior to joining Central Saint Martins, Nancy held senior academic and programme leadership roles positions internationally, including Assistant Professor and Course Director of the Building Sciences Program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute / Center for Architecture Science and Ecology (CASE), New York; Associate Professor and founding faculty member of the Department of Architecture at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, China; Course Leader Interior Architecture at the University of Hertfordshire, Senior Lecturer and Sustainability Pathway Leader at University for the Creative Arts in the UK. She was also an Invited Assistant Professor in the Department of Architecture at ISCTE, Lisbon and External Examiner at Domus Academy in Milan between 2009-2012.

She holds a five-year Licenciatura in Architecture from Lusíada University, Portugal, an Urban Design Certificate from ISCTE, and an MSc in Adaptive Computing and MPhil in Architecture from The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL.