Ivan Shen
Ivan Shen is a SMArchS Urbanism Student at MIT. Before coming to MIT, he graduated from Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Architecture, earning the highest undergraduate achievement award, and a Bachelor of Arts in Music History and Cultures, awarded with distinction.
Ivan’s expansive research interests encompass architecture, urban studies, and music history. His architecture thesis project, Made in “China”, Remade in Kibera, delves into Chinese-constructed infrastructure projects within informal neighborhoods in Nairobi, challenging conventional perceptions of these environments. Supported by a SOURCE Grant and honored with the Crown Thesis Award, he undertook field trips exceeding 70 days to East Africa's largest informal settlement. His work underscores the resilience and adaptability of these communities amidst extreme poverty and transnational developments, while proposing alternative frameworks for understanding urban growth.
In music history, Ivan’s distinction capstone project, When Entertainment and Violence Intertwine: Model Operas and Struggle Sessions during China’s Cultural Revolution, meticulously examines how performance spaces were repurposed for political and ideological reinforcement. This essay earned him the Abraham Veinus Prize, presented by the Department of Art & Music Histories at Syracuse University for the best undergraduate student paper in musicology.
Over the past four years, Ivan has participated in over 25 national and international design competitions, securing more than 10 awards for his work in architectural innovation and urban design. His project, The Domestic Nomad, was awarded first place in both the "Home of the Next Century" international design competition and the School of Architecture’s Integrated Design Studio Prize, Overall Design Award. Additionally, his Farming Depot City received an Honorable Mention in the 2024 eVolo Skyscraper Competition. As the design team chair for Syracuse University’s National Organization of Minority Architecture Students (NOMAS) chapter, he led the team to a first-place victory in the Annual NOMA Student Competition in 2024 and an honorable mention in 2022.
His academic performance was recognized with the title of Syracuse University Scholar, an honor bestowed upon only twelve students annually. He was also selected as a Senior Class Marshal, an accolade granted to two students each year for their significant contributions to the university community. Notably, Ivan is the first Asian international student and the first architecture student in the university's history to receive this prestigious recognition. He has been a research assistant at the Interactive Design and Visualization Lab (IDVL) and the Material Archi-Tectonic Research Lab (MATR Lab).
Professionally, Ivan's experience spans seven architectural practices across four continents, including cities such as Shanghai, New York City, Boston, Madrid, and Kigali, Rwanda. He has worked in a diverse range of offices such as Perkins&Will Boston, General Architecture Collaborative, SalazarSequeroMedina, Workshop/APD. Currently, he is working as a part-time junior designer at Robert Siegel Architects.
