APLA Welcomes New Faculty Member Eilís Finnegan

Please give a warm “welcome back” to alumna and Assistant Professor Eilís Finnegan! Finnegan is joining the faculty of the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture (APLA) this fall, where she will be teaching in the Environmental Design program. She earned a Bachelor of Architecture and a Bachelor of Interior Architecture from Auburn in 2020 and a Master of Architecture from the University of Michigan.

Finnegan worked at Michigan as both a Research Assistant and a Graduate Student Instructor in the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. She has also worked at the research firm RVTR in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects in Nova Scotia, Canada. Her research interests include exploring hybrid project generation methods, namely through Artificial Intelligence and digital modeling, speculative programming and collaborations with adjacent and divergent fields to create “sites” for working.

“Although I am an alum of the Architecture and Interior Architecture programs, I have always been interested in the disciplinary ‘stretch’ that the ENVD program offers and the kinds of generous work that can emerge from that model,” Finnegan stated. “Returning to Auburn as a member of the faculty has me excited to share and develop my own hybrid interests and encourage cross-pollination of design ideas in and outside of the College of Architecture, Design and Construction. I am most looking forward to engaging with the ENVD students, their unique interests, backgrounds and career ambitions!”

“We are so glad to be welcoming Eilís back to campus,” stated APLA School Head Justin Miller. “She was an outstanding student here in APLA, and we’re excited for her to bring a fresh perspective back to her alma mater.”