Charu Srivastava is a design researcher and engineer working at the
intersection of architecture, human-building interaction, and
computational modeling. Her research uses AI and machine learning to
study human experiences in the built environment and predict how
spatial design influences human health, behavior, and well-being.
Charu is a Lecturer in Architecture at the GSD and a researcher at the
Livable Spaces Lab in the Building Technology department at MIT. Her
research has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as Building
and Environment, Journal of Environmental Psychology, and Journal of
Building Engineering. Charu has given lectures at Harvard, Rhode Island
School of Design, Wentworth Institute of Technology, and University of
Wisconsin-Madison. Previously, she has worked as an architectural
designer at DES and CAW Architects, conducted building research at
Google and the U.S. Green Building Council, and held research positions
at Stanford’s Urban Informatics Lab and Hybrid Physical + Digital Spaces
Lab.
Charu holds a Doctor of Design from the GSD, and both an M.S. in Civil
and Environmental Engineering and a B.S. in Architectural Design
Engineering from Stanford University. She also studied abroad at Oxford
University, where she completed a tutorial in Architectural Psychology
and Healthcare Environments. She is a recipient of the Daniel L.
Schoedek Award, the Harvard Real Estate Research Grant, the ARCC
King Medal for Excellence in Architectural Research, the Schneider
Fellowship, the Chappell Lougee Fellowship, and an Honorable Mention
by the NSF GRFP