UEDLAB People
Our Teams
Alex Felson
Dr. Felson is the Elisabeth Murdoch Chair of Landscape Architecture at the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning. He is a senior certified ecologist and a registered landscape architect. Felson works as an academic and practising professional to advance resilient liveable cities and sustainable planning, landscape architecture and urban design. Alex founded and runs the Urban Ecology and Design Lab (UEDLAB) and Ecopolitan Design, where he integrates applied ecology with landscape architecture and urban design.
alex.felson@unimelb.edu.au +61 3 8344 0588
Dave Kendal
I work at the science-policy interface with an international research profile on (mostly urban) social ecological systems and the human dimensions of biodiversity conservation, and experience working on nature-related policy and programs from global to local levels, that support improved biodiversity outcomes, first nation cultural practices and self-determination, and engagement and participation with the broader community. After completing my PhD in 2011, I worked at the Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology, a division of the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, the universities of Melbourne and tasmania before starting Future in Nature Pty ltd in 2022.
dave@futurenature.au
Sofia Colabella
Sofia is an architect and Lecturer in Architectural Technology at the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning (ABP) of The University of Melbourne. As a registered architect (2002) with a PhD in Architectural Technology (2006), she co-founded and co-directed (2002-15) two research-based architecture practices specialising in structural, acoustic and interior design. Expert in timber lightweight structures and ecological digital design, she designed and built several timber gridshells and acoustic shells for open-air concerts (2007-15). At the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL, 2016), she developed a cross-industry project on waste reduction, tested through a prototype exhibited at the Architecture Biennale in Lyon (2017). At UoM, she teaches research-infused design studios on acoustic design and investigates emerging pedagogies for teaching architectural technology. Sofia is a member of the International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures (IASS), the IASS Hangai Prize Committee and the Sustainable and Healthy Environments (SHE) Lab. She is a member and co-founder of the Advance Digital Design + Fabrication (ADD+F) research hub.
s.colabella@unimelb.edu.au
Harrison Baxter
Harrison Baxter is a Master of Landscape Architecture student who is passionate about the role of ecological design in developing the urban fabric of the future. He is interested in community driven projects, where he volunteers, and has a broad educational background from architecture to nursery work and landscaping. Harrison’s involvement at the Yalukit Willam Nature Reserve led to the UED Lab’s introduction into the collaborative design of the Wildflower Meadow with Professor Nick Williams and Sophia Blosfelds of the Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences faculty. He currently works as a Landscape Architect for Papworth Design and is enthusiastic about site specificity and targeting endemic species to drive decision-making
baxter.h@unimelb.edu.au
Gina Dahl
Gina Dahl is an architectural designer with a passion for ecologically conscious design methodologies. Her master’s thesis merged storytelling and adaptive reuse strategies in collaboration with the Karungkarni Art and Culture Aboriginal Corporation in Kalkarindji, NT. The project, located on Gurindji Country, was awarded the 2022 DesignInc Positive Legacy of Design Award and the 2022 Dean's Honours List. Gina has since been involved with the Bower Studio, in the consultation, design and construction of her thesis project. Stage 1 was completed in April 2023. Gina currently works for Public Realm Lab who focus on social and cultural sustainability.
g.dahl@unimelb.edu.au
Maria Bulmaga
Maria Bulmaga is a Master of Architecture Graduate, Research Assistant and Sessional Tutor at the University of Melbourne. She is particularly interested in community-driven projects at the intersection of architectural design, ecology, and social-cultural equality. Her recent master’s thesis delves into how architecture can challenge dominant growth logics through participatory urban practices. In her work at the Lab, she has focused on projects involving the Darebin and Merri tributaries, exploring water sensitive urban design, biodiversity and habitat support. These projects delve into the material and political legacies of the site and its interconnections with the larger living river system, advocating for changes that support ethics of landscape practice and design on Country.
maria.bulmaga@unimelb.edu.au
Yuqian Lin
Yuki Yuqian Lin is a PhD candidate in Landscape Architecture at the University of Melbourne. Her interdisciplinary research focuses on caring for and healing post-industrial landscapes scarred by quarrying and dumping, particularly along Merri and Darebin Creeks. Through creative and participatory methods, she seeks new reflective ways to center often-unheard voices, unseen narratives, and support citizen storytelling to inform design. Her work aims to build a transformative, living, and evolving community-based hybrid prototype that facilitates co-designed and co-envisioned futures for more resilient, adaptive, and caring riparian post-quarry-landfill’s socio-ecological landscapes across generations.
yuqian.lin2@unimelb.edu.au
Amira Moshinsky
Amira Moshinsky is a student in the Master of Environmental Engineering and simultaneously manages a circular-economy, innovation project, Remix Raingardens. She is passionate about designing and implementing sustainable solutions that mitigate ecological destruction. With a background in psychology, Amira is committed to fostering connections and opportunities for collaboration to create change that considers intersectional perspectives. She is interested in using public sustainability installations as a means of engaging and educating the community on environmental issues.
amira.moshinsky@unimelb.edu.au
Claire Newton
Claire Newton is a landscape architect who is passionate about the intersections between built environment design, ecological sustainability and social-cultural equality. With a background in horticulture and journalism, Claire’s multi-disciplinary education informs her collaborative approach which prioritises process to deliver meaningful outcomes. In undertaking her recent independent Master’s thesis with the University of Melbourne she worked with Tati Tati - a Murray River Traditional Owner group - to explore the role of landscape architecture in leveraging government policy and public discourse on the importance and implementation of cultural flows.
claire.newton@unimelb.edu.au
Muniroth Lim
Muniroth Lim (Muni) is a Bachelor of Design student majoring in Landscape Architecture. She is a passionate designer that seeks to translate art inquiries into the architecture and landscape architecture disciplines. Her work has been selected in three consecutive semesters for the MSDX design exhibition as exemplary projects. She’s looking forward to create buildings and spaces that allows people to bring out their ideal lifestyle. Muni is currently involved in the Matchstick Grasshopper Royal Park project led by the UEDLAB which focuses on food-web research and habitat construction using design experiments as a framework tool.
munirothl@student.unimelb.edu.au
Anna Mueller
Anna recently graduated with a Master of Architecture from the Aarhus School of Architecture, Denmark after having completed previous studies in both landscape architecture and architecture in Australia. Her master’s thesis merged landscape ecology principles, material investigations and architectural thinking to a lignite mining site in which she seeked to understand how these landscapes could be transformed through practices of care and participation. She is passionate about the intertwined ecological relationships between architecture and landscape and seeks to investigate new ways in which the two are realised.
annamue24@gmail.com
Andreas Baruhas
Andreas Baruhas is a recent Master's of Environmental Engineering graduate. Complimenting this with an undergraduate degree in physics, he is particularly interested in how science and engineering approaches can be fused with human-centred design principles to enhance the climate resiliency of cities and places. Andreas is a core team member of the Remix Raingardens project, which seeks to combine the circular economy with water sensitive urban design features, culminating in a public designed experiment in collaboration with the City of Melbourne. His Master’s Capstone project involved modelling the ecological benefits of environmental water in the Murray-Darling Basin.
andreas.baruhas@unimelb.edu.au
Michaela Prunotto
Michaela recently graduated with her Master of Architecture as ABPL faculty Valedictorian. She has co-edited Inflection Journal Vol.8, published a few journal articles, and collaborated with various practices; among them Edition Office, Public Realm Lab, Gregory Burgess, FabLab, and MRTN Architects. Prior to completing her thesis project – titled ‘Atlas of Extraction’ (2023) – she spent five days camping in a Quarry with These Are The Projects We Do Together. She is enthusiastic about projects which exert tangible and positive social or ecological change.
michaela.prunotto@unimelb.edu.au
Yiwen Wang
Yiwen Wang is a graduate landscape architect with a passion for ecological management in cultural contexts. Her master's thesis, which integrated an understanding of Country and seasonal knowledge into planning existing urban landscape structures, was awarded the 2023 Ellis Stones Memorial Award. Currently, Yiwen works for Design with Country Studio, focusing on collaborating with multiple actors to integrate the design and practice of Country, culture and ecology.
yiwen.wang21@unimelb.edu.au