Karine Dupre named associate dean of research and creative scholarship for College of Architecture, Arts, and Design
Virginia Tech’s College of Architecture, Arts, and Design gained an “impact champion” when Professor Karine Dupre began her new appointment as associate dean of research and creative scholarship on Aug. 1.
An architect and urban designer, Dupre is coming to Blacksburg from Griffith University in Queensland, Australia, where her most recent leadership position was that of impact champion. In this role, Dupre provided support and guidance to researchers across the university, while leading by example through her own achievements and funded projects.
In her new role for the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design, Dupre is charged with realizing a visionary research strategy that advances and is in sync with the university’s mission and priorities. Additional key responsibilities include promoting interdisciplinary collaboration on campus and beyond, and expanding the college’s funded research projects, creative scholarship efforts, and sponsored projects.
“I am really excited about the array of talent constituting the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design and am looking forward to working collaboratively to promote the research and creative scholarship culture both inside and outside the college,” said Dupre. “The influence of creative disciplines on the wellbeing and development of our communities is often underestimated, and this new role will provide the opportunity to facilitate and demonstrate the leadership of the college in this area.”
Dupre is expecting a learning curve for both herself and the college community, but she plans to rely on existing expertise and learn from colleagues, while also bringing her own brand of “strategic and agile thinking that can benefit the college and empower its academics.”
Dean Lu Liu said he believes Dupre is a leader who will have an immediate impact on research activities in the college, especially in relation to the incoming cohort of 28 new faculty hires, for whom she will be a guide and mentor.
“We are committed to advancing faculty research and creative scholarship, and we need a leader who will encourage and nurture these efforts while thriving in the ‘start up’ environment of the college,” said Liu. “The spirit of creativity and entrepreneurship go hand in hand, and we welcome new collaborative ventures between our faculty and students, as well as those involving firms and industry partners that will help us build better communities.”
Dupre has held a variety of leadership positions in academic administration and research at Griffith University. She was a cluster leader for the Griffith Institute for Tourism and the higher degree research convener for the School of Engineering and Built Environment. She also served as director of the Bachelor of Architectural Design Program and acting head of the Architecture Program.
Prior to her tenure at Griffith University, Dupre was the head of the School of Architecture and the director of the Bachelor of Architecture Program at the National Institute of Applied Sciences in Strasbourg, France.
As a researcher, Dupre focuses on the design processes that can make cities and communities more resilient and sustainable. She is an expert on social design and live projects, which allow teams of students to work with clients and communities to complete projects in real-time, managing constraints like budgets, time, and people. Above all, her work is built upon and emphasizes collaboration and shared creativity.
Dupre earned a Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture from Ecole d'Architecture de Paris Charenton and a Research Master in history and anthropology from the University Antilles-Guyane (UAG), France. She has also earned a Ph.D. in urban planning and design from Tampere Technical University in Finland and a Ph.D. in modern history from UAG.
For the last year, Michael Borowski, associate professor in the School of Visual Arts, has served as the interim dean for the college. “We are thankful that Michael was able to step into the position and be a visible presence and advocate for our research efforts, most notably by chairing a task force that developed metrics for measuring significant faculty achievements in creative scholarship,” said Liu.
