Lara Tomholt is currently a Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow at the Andlinger Center for Energy and Environment, Princeton University, working with professors Reza Moini (Architected Materials and Additive Manufacturing Lab) and Forrest Meggers (CHAOS Lab) to explore novel solutions for 3D-printed ceramic systems with energy-efficient heat transfer for building thermoregulation, inspired by architectural design rules of plant leaves.
She holds a Doctor of Design degree from Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD), where she studied how the bio-inspiration and an interdisciplinary approach can help us develop new, innovative concepts for adaptable façades that significantly increase the energy efficiency of building thermoregulation. Alongside her doctoral research at the GSD, she has conducted materials research for the GSD's Adaptive Living Environments (ALivE) group. She was a research assistant for the Harvard Center for Green Buildings and Cities (CGBC), and conducted biomechanics and biologically inspired robotics research at the Harvard Microrobotics Laboratory (formerly affiliated with the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering). Her work has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including Energy and Buildings, Journal of Structural Biology and Science Translational Medicine.
Lara holds a BSc and MSc degree in Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences from Delft University of Technology. As part of her studies in Delft, she participated in multiple projects of The Why Factory (part of MVRDV) and an exchange program with the Polytechnic University of Milan. She worked as an intern at Benthem Crouwel Architects, after which her research was presented at the International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam 2014.
Her other interests include complex data visualization, parametric modeling, fabrication, environmental conservation, animal welfare, food sustainability, dancing, reading, hiking, and traveling.
