James Vincent Brice

James is a dual Master of Architecture and Master of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering degree candidate with the class of 2024. Before coming to MIT, he worked as a zookeeper and aquarist, responsible for the care of terrestrial and aquatic animal life. Pulling from this professional experience and a BS in Applied Physics (RPI ‘16), he's exploring the integration of architecture, urban ecosystems and environmental fluid mechanics. His research, advised by Dr. Heidi Nepf (Nepf Lab), focuses on wave-structure interaction and the design of nature-based coastal protection strategies. By applying knowledge of biophysical interactions in aquatic ecosystems to urban waterfront design, he investigates ways climate adaptation can strengthen a multispecies understanding of coastal community resilience. 

James is an active member of the MIT community and regularly participates in department-level and institute-level outreach initiatives, as well as in the greater-Cambridge area. Select engagements include the admissions mentorship program (AMP), GradCatalyst, the MArch Admissions Committee, MIT Splash, the MIT-Nord Anglia Collaboration, and the Cambridge Science Festival. In Summer 2021, he co-designed and taught the special subject 4.s24 COHABITATE: Entangling Architecture, Infrastructure, and Living Systems. James is also co-president of the MIT Water Club and previous co-director of the Fall 2021 MIT Water Summit titled "Coastal Cities and Ecosystems."