Siobhan Rockcastle, SMArchS

Siobhan Rockcastle earned her professional BArch from Cornell University in 2008, graduating with the Alpha Rho Chi Medal and her SMArchS degree in Building Technology from MIT in 2011, graduating with a top thesis award from the department of architecture. She is an assistant professor of architecture, director of the UO’s Baker Lighting Lab, and co-founder of OCULIGHT dynamics, a company offering specialized daylight design support to promote healthy indoor occupation. 

Siobhan’s research explores topics at the intersection of architectural design, environmental dynamics, human perception, and daylight performance with a focus on well-being. Her current work uses simulation and virtual reality to model and design experiential lighting environments.  Her research explores the ways in which architecture, lighting design, and occupant behavior can impact inequities in light exposure. She was awarded the 2021 ARCC New Researcher Award and serves on the Board of SimAUD (Simulation in Architecture and Urban Design). 

Siobhan was on the organizing committee of two SimAUD symposia as Scientific Chair in 2018 and General Chair in 2019. She received her PhD in 2017 from the LIPID lab in the Doctoral Program in Architecture and Sciences of the City (EDAR) at the Swiss Federal Polytechnic in Lausanne, Switzerland (EPFL).  Her doctoral dissertation was awarded a ‘special distinction’ as one of 9 dissertations short-listed for the Top Thesis Prize from across all EPFL doctoral programs in 2017.

Before her transition into academia, Siobhan’s professional work experience includes 2 years of project management at KVA matX in Boston where she worked on the Minneapolis riverFIRST development initiative, Beaver Wood Vault, Solar Soft Rockers and 3M Sunlight Delivery project.  Since her transition to co-founder and Director of Design at OCULIGHT dynamics, she has consulted on daylight design projects in the United States, Denmark, Germany, France, and Switzerland.