About Me:
This is Ayman Wagdy, an Architectural Engineer, Researcher and Assistant Lecturer at the American University in Cairo. Before attaining my Bachelor Degree, I was one of the most ingenious students, and I was graded the seventh over my class in 2007.
I had an interest in computation and programming since the first years of my architectural studies, and I have successfully acquired the 11th place worldwide in using ArchiCAD software in 2004 and I became a member of the developing team using GDL script. As a student, I was registered as a professional user and authorized trainer. I was granted 42 original software copies for the University. Since that time, I have discovered my strengths: logical thinking, math, problem-solving, and innovative approaches.
After graduation, I worked for three years as a professional architect in several projects in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Dubai in the UAE. Moreover, during my master studies in Politecnico Di Milano, I used to do work for Italian architectural firms. In 2011, I started to use and apply parametric tools within my academic and professional work. In one project, I took the responsibility to fabricate a parametric model as a pavilion in the city center of Milan. Using Grasshopper, I was able to provide detailed designs and drawings for the timber construction of the pavilion.
At Politecnico di Milano, I strengthened my technical skills and experiences, exploiting the opportunity of being involved in an international community. In my master thesis, I successfully earned the highest mark since the last seven years in the Politecnico. My thesis developed a state of the art integrative performance-driven tool that combines five different software and simulation tools. This tool is based on generative computation techniques, creating a closed optimization loop for daylighting performance. I obtained a copyright for this tool by the Technology Transfer Office in the Politecnico. After getting my master degree, I was granted the third place and the Scientific Superiority Award by the Egyptian Cultural Office in Rome for producing ideas, thoughts, and projects for the future of Egypt.
Also, I developed a tool using grasshopper capable of measuring the applicability of integrating thin-film photovoltaic cells over membrane and textile of mega structures. This tool was used as a core method to provide reliable results in a doctorate research published in March 2013.
As a highly motivated and committed person, my ambitions and working abilities go beyond average levels. That was clearly evident when I participated in the contest held by NASA entitled: ISS Longeron Challenge. The objective was to find out the optimum angular position and velocity of eight solar collector wings of the “International Space Station”, in order to maximize the efficiency of collecting sunlight. The jury members acknowledged that my project acquired the second best results. However, I was not granted the prize because I used a different algorithmic language. Since then, I have been motivated to learn more programming. I started to self-learn the scripting language of Visual Basic (VB) and ongoing with Python. I believe that programming languages aid different disciplines and professions; nevertheless parametric design.
After giving a remarkable presentation at the SB13 conference in Egypt, I was promoted to work in the American University in Cairo (AUC) as a Research Associate in the Sustainable Research Group. Based on my distinctive capacities, the research theme was oriented towards parametric optimization of daylighting. Since the time I engaged with the AUC, my scientific research publications have expanded within the research group and individually, by which more than eight scientific papers were successfully published in less than one year, not to mention the ongoing ones. In parallel, I worked as an Assistant Lecturer and Instructor for the High-Tech Design Studio in the AUC. I prepared the course outline, reference materials, and visual aids.
I have an interest in teaching and transferring knowledge even went beyond the university. I have successfully conducted more than ten workshops during one year in the field of parametric design and daylighting in several places such as: Politecnico Di Milano and Future University in Cairo, in addition to other architectural hubs. In some of those workshops, I had the opportunity to collaborate with other academics (Stuttgart University and EPFL) and conduct specialized workshops. In addition, I was invited to give public lectures at several universities and firms.
An overlook of my academic background will prove that I have always been a very committed, dedicated, and hard-working student and young researcher. I can contribute effectively in performance based designs, parametric modeling, and daylighting simulations. I am very flexible, willing to learn and develop my research and experimental skills to the 9th level,
Best Regards,
Ayman Wagdy