Email: yshen0515@outlook.com | Website: yifanshen.net | Phone: 680-910-9190
Ivan is an urban researcher and architectural designer from Shanghai, China. He investigates how globalization shapes the living conditions of vulnerable populations within local built environments.
Education
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Master of Science in Architectural Studies’27 , urbanism domain
100% Departmental Fellowship
Syracuse University
B.Arch ’25, Valedictorian | B.A. in Music History and Cultures with Distinction ’25
GPA: 3.9874/4.0 | Design GPA: 4.0/4.0
Renée Crown Honors Recipient
Practice Experience
Robert Siegel Architects
Worked part-time in the schematic design phase on multiple Higher Ed. projects.
Feb. – May 2025, New York City (remote)
Perkins&Will
Worked with the Design Director Eric Keune on projects in Higher Ed. and Healthcare.
Jun. – Aug. 2024, Boston, MA
Salazar x Sequero x Medina (SSM)
Assisted the principals on competitions for affordable housing projects and biennale pavilions.
Dec. 2023 – Nov. 2024, Madrid, Spain (remote)
General Architecture Collaborative (GAC)
In this not-for-profit office, worked on exhibition, housing, and urban projects in Rwanda.
Aug. 2023 – Jan. 2024, Kigali, Rwanda
Material Archi-Tectonic Research Lab (MATR Lab)
Worked in a team developing modular dwelling units. Supervised by Daekwon Park.
May 2023 – Jun. 2024, Syracuse, NY
Workshop/APD
Worked on D.D. and C.A. phases of single-family and mid-rise residential projects in NYC.
Jun. – Aug. 2022, New York City
Virtuarch Co., Ltd
Worked at the conceptual design stage on multiple educational projects in China.
Jul. 2020 – Jan. 2021, Shanghai, China
MILLIONS Architects
Part-time Photographer
Summer 2022
Research
SOURCE Grant Research Fellow
Research project titled “Re-Imaging the Urban Informal Settlements in East Africa.”
One-month independent fieldwork in Kigali, Rwanda (Aug. 2023)
One-month independent fieldwork in Nairobi, Kenya (Dec. 2024)
2023–2025, Syracuse University
Distinction in Music History Thesis Project
“Staging the Extremes: Model Operas and Struggle Sessions during China’s Cultural Revolution,” interrogating the political space and sound in Contemporary China.
Fall 2024, Syracuse University
Syracuse University Art Museum Kaish Fellow
Used architecture and music to interpret live landscape paintings in the museum collection.
2023–2024, Syracuse University
“The Yang-tze River Dilemma” Harvard GSD Research Assistant
Assisted MDes Ecologies student Angelina Zhang on a floodplain resilience fieldwork.
May 2024, Wuhan, China
Design for Biodiversity (Fieldwork on the Galapagos Islands)
Two-week group survey led by Julia Czerniak et al. on island urbanization and ecological conflicts.
June 2023, Galapagos, Ecuador
Interactive Design and Visualization Lab (IDVL Lab)
Assisted Professor Bess Krietemeyer on a net-zero housing retrofit strategy project.
June 2022 – June 2023, Syracuse, NY
“Just 20 Feet” Research Assistant to Julia Czerniak
Assisted Dean Julia Czerniak (UB) on a biodiversity corridor project.
Summer 2022, Syracuse, NY
Academic Honors
Syracuse University Scholar
Awarded to twelve top students for highest academic achievements. (Class of 2025)
Syracuse University Senior Class Marshal
Awarded to two students annually for campus contribution. (Class of 2025)
Syracuse University Remembrance Scholar (2024–2025)
Veinus Prize Best musicology paper in SU’s music history department. (2025)
Crown Thesis Award Architecture Capstone Project “Made in China, Remade in Kibera.” (2024)
Alfred L. Kaskel Scholarship Solo Recipient of Highest Award for Academic Merit. (2024)
Peter J. Moore Award Solo Recipient for Excellence in Architecture Sketching. (2023–2024)
Maxwell Citizenship Scholarship Winner of a university public policy-design competition. (2020–2024)
Positions
Departmental Representative
MIT Graduate Student Council, 2025-2026
NOMAS Syracuse Chapter Design Team Chair
The National Organization of Minority Students (NOMAS) ,2022 & 2024
Social Media Coordinator
Syracuse Architecture Social Media Team, Sep. 2021 – present
DEIA Committee Representative
Syracuse University, School of Architecture, Elected Representative, 2021–2022
Exhibitions & Publications
“Recording Transformation: How Cassette Culture Inscribed New Spatial Practices in 1980s China.” Thresholds: records (forthcoming, 2025). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Czerniak, Julia, and Nina-Marie Lister. “Telling Species Stories.” Workshop facilitated by Ivan Shen et al. at Student Conference on Conservation Science – New York. American Museum of Natural History, New York City, October 2024.
“The Suspended Garden.” In SPACE Vol. 1: Delirium, University of Southern California School of Architecture, 2025.
“Atriums in Architecture Schools.” GREEN ROOM: Syracuse Architecture Student Publication, October 2024. Syracuse University.
“Brand and Pop-up Structures.” Workshop assisted by Dean Michael Speaks. Syracuse University, Fall 2024.
Zhang, Angelina, and Ivan Shen. “The Yang-tze River Dilemma.” Presented at Climate-Resilient Development in Southeast Asia Conference, Harvard-China Project, Boston, July 2024.
“Islands and Soundscapes.” Curated exhibition as part of the Kaish Fellowship, Syracuse University Art Museum, May 2024.
“Rwanda Housing Project.” Composite illustration exhibited in Slocum Atrium Exhibition, curated by Yutaka Sho. Syracuse University, May 2024.
“Net Zero Energy Retrofit Living Lab Exhibition.” The Museum of Science and Technology (MOST), Syracuse, NY, December 2023.
“The Regime and the Opera House.” The Crown, vol. 1 (October 2023). Syracuse University.
Competitions (selected)
NOMA Student National Competition – First Place (ACADIA Award)
Project: “Promenade for Participation.”
Oct. 2024, NOMA Conference
AIA Central New York – Award of Merit (Student Work Category)
Project: “The Domestic Nomad.”
Oct. 2024, AIA CNY
HOME 2124 – First Place
Project: “The Domestic Nomad.”
Sep. 2024, Archiol Competitions
Skyscraper Competition 2024 – Honorable Mention
Project: “Farming Depot City.”
Jun. 2024, Evolo Magazine
Syracuse University Integrated Studio Overall Design Award – First Place
Project: “The Domestic Nomad.”
Jun. 2024, Syracuse University
Mass Timber Competition 2024 – Second Place
Project: “Elevated Commons.”
May 2024, SUNY ESF
Concéntrico Festival – The Street in 10 Years – Top 5
Collaboration with Salazar x Sequero x Medina, “The Shared Ground Floor.”
Apr. 2024, Logroño, Spain
Asian Design Award 2024 – Bronze Prize and Two Awards of Excellence
Apr. 2024, AAUA
LA Affordable Housing Challenge – Honorable Mention
Mar. 2024, The Builders
NOMA Student National Competition – Fourth Place
Led a 10-person design team, “Between the Land and Memory.”
Oct. 2022, NOMA Conference (Nashville)
Teaching
B.Arch Core Studio Sequence Teaching Assistant
Second-year Landscape Studio, Third-year Urbanism Studio, Visiting Critic Studio.
Fall 2022 & Fall 2024, Syracuse University
Summer Exploration Program Teaching Fellow
Led a 15-student session for high school students.
Summer 2023, Syracuse University
B.Arch Required Curriculum Student Tutor
Building System I & II, Arch. Representation I & II, Arch. History I & II, Architecture Theory.
Fall 2021 – Spring 2024, Syracuse University
East China Normal University Guest Speaker
Speech title: “Experience in Africa as a Chinese Researcher.”
Jan. 2024, Hangzhou, China
Syracuse Architecture Visiting Critic Studio Review Jury Fall 2024
Skills
Software
Revit, Rhino, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Indesign, Twinmotion, Acrobat, Microsoft Suite, Cubase, Adobe Audition, QGIS, SketchUp, Enscape, Vray for Rhino, Bluebeam Revu, AutoCAD, ArchiCAD, Premier Pro, Procreate, ArcGIS, Grasshopper
Fabrication
Lasercut, 3D Printing, CNC Milling, Casting, Basic Woodwork
Language
Native Proficiency: English / Chinese
Working Proficiency: Italian
Updated Oct. 2025