cv

aisha kazembe

multidisciplinary designer & engineer | climate resilience & emerging tech

About
Interdisciplinary designer and engineer with expertise spanning sustainability, environmental engineering, data systems, and emerging technologies. Started with environmental engineering to understand how natural systems function—water and air movement, renewable energy, and sustainable building design. Pursued master's degree to explore technologies connecting physical and digital systems, building coding proficiency across multiple languages and 3D modeling skills. Two years of corporate sustainability experience in digital teams exposed me to environmental technology applications across chemical management, energy management, climate risk, health and safety, and emissions tracking. This curated skillset enables me to understand the functional, political, and digital dimensions of environmental work, supporting my goal to pursue responsible resource management and climate resilience across the built environment.
Education
MFA in Design and Technology
Parsons School of Design, New York City
B.S. in Environmental Engineering
University of Southern California, Los Angeles
Experience
Research Analyst
Cycle Retrotech, New York
Conducting research on residential building decarbonization funded by the National Laboratory of the Rockies for the Building America program. Work focuses on comparing electrified heating systems with traditional boilers across 300+ projects, analyzing construction costs, operations and management requirements, and resident impact to guide capital asset management and inform future retrofit implementations.
Senior Technology Implementation Consultant
Ernst & Young - Digital Practice, Sustainability Group, New York
Worked with cross-functional teams throughout all stages of sustainability and environmental risk projects: vendor selection, current state analysis, system design proposals, data interpretation and analysis, UX/UI design, system implementation, testing, deployment, and documentation. Technical expertise included system design, programming, data management, energy and emissions calculations, and environmental risk and sustainability reporting system design and analysis.
Summer Research Intern
ReNUWIt Program, Stanford University & Colorado School of Mines
Year 1: Built and managed queryable database on agricultural filter strip best management practices using Excel, MySQL, and RStudio. Reviewed research papers, interpreted and collected applicable data, and consolidated findings into comprehensive database.
Year 2: Analyzed program data and created data visualizations in collaboration with Stanford University program leadership to communicate research findings.
Engineering Student Researcher
University of Southern California, Los Angeles
Built and programmed an Augmented Reality Sandbox using UC Davis documentation and hardware. Integrated two Xbox Kinects and a projector to create real-time feedback system: users manipulated physical sand while visual terrain contour lines projected on surface enabled simulation of earth movement, water flow, and collection.
Design & Consulting Intern
C-Wise Design and Consulting, Iowa City, IA
Prepared and reviewed LEED-certified architecture and green building project documentation. Conducted precedent research on clean energy districts to support Johnson Clean Energy District's launch. Assisted in creating branding package and establishing web presence.
Digital Fabrication Assistant
USC School of Architecture, Los Angeles
Managed laser lab operations: troubleshot Rhino and Illustrator files for laser cutting, operated and maintained laser systems as single resource per shift, and provided user support. Assisted in 3D printing lab operations and worked on internal projects using Grasshopper and computational design.
Skills & Tools
Design & Visualization
Cinema4D
3D Modeling
Projection Mapping
MadMapper
Rendering
Creative Coding & Data
p5.js
Shader Programming
Data Visualization
Predictive Modeling
Web Development
Engineering & Environmental Design
Systems Design
Environmental Analysis
Building Performance
Water Systems
Energy Systems
Sustainability
Emerging Technologies
AR/VR
Immersive Design
Interactive Systems
Spatial Computing
Focus Areas
• Climate-adaptive design and resilience in the built environment
• Immersive technologies for environmental communication and education
• Systems integration bridging engineering, design, and sustainability
• Research-driven approaches to building decarbonization and retrofit strategies

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aisha.m.kazembe@gmail.com linkedin