Nathan King

Dr. King is Co-Director of the Center for Design Research (CDR) and teaches courses in Architecture, Industrial Design, Construction, and Engineering-related disciplines. Prior to Virginia Tech, Nathan taught at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, the Rhode Island school of Design, and the University of Innsbruck’s Institute for Experimental Architecture. In Industry, Nathan is the Senior Industry Engagement Manager for the Autodesk Technology Centers focusing on Architecture, Engineering and Construction, where he develops applied research collaborations relating to industrialized construction and automation technologies. In service to the University Beyond Boundaries Initiatives, Nathan maintains an active presence in industry and design practice enabling a symbiotic relationship between academia, industry, and design practice by creating new student opportunities for experiential learning both within the university and beyond.

Prior to joining Autodesk, King was a Director at MASS Design Group, where he collaborated on the development and deployment of innovative building technologies, medical devices, and evaluation methods for application in resource-limited settings. Nathan’s professional work spans the globe with built work in Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Haiti, Sweden, Dominican Republic, United States, and beyond. Recently Nathan was part of a team awarded the Charles Pankow Award for Innovation by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) for his work in the development of the Autodesk BUILD Space in Boston. King lectures and publishes widely with his book ‘Ceramic Material Systems in Architecture and Interior Design’—co-authored with Martin Bechthold and Anthony Kane(VT A+D – 2008)—released by Birkhauser in 2015.

Nathan, along with collaborating faculty Robert Dunay and David Clark, and graduate students Ed Coe and Martin Angst, is responsible for the development of the School of Architecture + Design, CDR – Design Technology initiative that has resulted in the design and construction The ‘CDR Design Robotics Laboratory’ located at the CAUS Research and Demonstration Facility and the ‘CDR-Design Robotics Studio and Additive Manufacturing and Prototyping Labs ‘ located in Cowgill Hall. These facilities enable enhanced collaboration between students and faculty across campus, and support industry collaboration and research. As part of this Initiative Nathan co-founded the Large Format Additive Manufacturing and Construction group, a collaboration between the faculty in the School of Architecture + Design, College of Engineering, and the Macromolecules Innovation Institute which recently consulted on the winning entry in the NASA 3D printed Habitat Challenge and continues to advanced automation and additive manufacturing for construction.

Nathan is also leading the CDR Impact Design Initiatives which include research relating to design and health including distributed healthcare, design strategies for infection control, and global health with a focus on underserved and resource limited communities. The CDR Impact Design Initiative currently has global reach with active student projects in Rwanda, relating to the development of vocational training for export quality manufacturing; in Malawi, working in collaboration with Mzuzu University on the new campus library; in Uganda with the recent deployment of a community health center; and in Zambia, where King serves as National Healthcare Infrastructure Advisor to the Ministry of Health focusing on the development of expanded distributed healthcare infrastructure.

Companies

• Global Senior Strategic Relationships Manager, Technology Centers Autodesk (2020)
• Lecturer in Design - Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) University of Pennsylvania (2020)
• National Healthcare Infrastructure Advisor (Vol) Ministry of Health of Zambia (2020)
• Lecturer in Archtiecture Harvard University Graduate School of Design (2018)
• President Front Porch Automation (2015)
• Co-Director Center for Design Research, Virginia Tech (2014)
• Assistant Professor of Architecture + Design (Fractional) Virginia Tech (2014)
• Global Technology Centers Network Team Lead (Interim) Autodesk (2021 — 2021)
• Senior Industry Engagement Manager, Autodesk Technology Centers Autodesk (2018 — 2020)

Education

• Executive/Continuing Education MIT Sloan Executive Education (2020)
• Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Randolph-Macon College (1998 — 2002)
• University of Waikato