md ehsan alam
MUD \ B.Arch
Graduate Student
Yale School of Architecture
New Haven, CT, United States
ehsanxalam@gmail.com
Website \ LinkedIn \ ORCID portfolio
EDUCATION
Master of Environmental Design 2026 - 2028
United States
Master of Urban Design 2023 - 2024
United States
Bachelor of Architecture 2015 - 2021 Bangladesh
Teaching Fellow
Aug - Dec 2026
United States
Research Associate Feb 2026 - Present
United States
Research Assistant Feb 2025 - Jan 2026
United States
Research Associate
Aug - Dec 2024
United States
Yale School of Architecture
Post Professional Degree
Research Focus: Climate Change, Coastal Ecologies, Salinity. Expected Graduation: Spring 2028
Taubman College, University of Michigan
Post Professional Degree; CGPA: 3.98 / 4.00
Research Focus: Intermediate Urbanisms, Hydrology, Governance Graduated with Excellence in MUD Award
Department of Architecture, BRAC University Professional Degree; CGPA: 3.79 / 4.00
Language of Instruction: English; Research Focus: Spatial Thresholds, Informal Urbanism Graduated with Noman Award for Excellence in Design
ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS
Yale School of Architecture
Led discussion sections, evaluated student work, and supported the development of student assignments across two courses.
ARCH 4294: Reckoning Environmental Uncertainty with Prof. Anthony Acciavatti and Alp Demiroglu (co Teaching Fellow).
ARCH 4900: Senior Research Colloquium with Prof. Kyle Dugdale.
Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Michigan
Regional research on priority fish and wildlife species and on the operation and maintenance of Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) across Southeast Michigan. with Kathy Velikov, María Arquero de Alarcón, and Lara Treemore Spears
Role includes: Remote Sensing, Cartography, Urban Analysis, Literature Review, Ecological Research, Illustration, Dissemination, Fieldwork, Documentation.
Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Michigan Contributing to a Multi-Discplinary Planning Project titled ‘Integrating Nature-Based Solutions into a Comprehensive Stormwater Strategy for Southeast Michigan’.
Landuse Visualization Team with Kathy Velikov (Co-PI) + María Arquero de Alarcón + Geoffrey Thün. Role includes: Remote Sensing, Cartography, Urban Analysis, Literature Review, Dissemination, Conducting Workshops with Partner Advisors, Documentation.
Hydrology, Land Cover & Climate Change Lab, LSA, University of Michigan
Supervisor: Jessica Fayne
Remote Sensing and Geospatial Analysis to explore urbanism and hydrology in secondary cities of Bangladesh. Guided, independent research.
Instructional Aide
Aug - Oct 2024
United States
Research Assistant
Jun - Aug 2024
United States
Graduate Student
Instructor
Jan - May 2024
United States
Research Assistant
Jan - Jun 2024
Michigan, United States
Lecturer
2022 - 2023
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Teaching Assistant
2021 - 2022
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Junior Architect
2021 - 2023
Bangladesh
Associate Consultant
2021 - 2023
Bangladesh
Architectural Intern
Jan - May 2019
India
Leonard B. Willeke
Portfolio Competition
2025, United States
MUD Academic
Excellence Award
2024, United States
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, LSA, University of Michigan
EARTH 408: Introduction to GIS with Prof. Jessica Fayne + Ayesha Saeed (GSI)
Lectures on Core Concepts, Lab Demonstrations, Curriculum Development.
Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Michigan
Principal Investigator: María Arquero de Alarcón
Compilation of student works for web dissemination, award submissions and journal publications for the Spring Studio titled ‘Struggles and Resistances in the South’, São Paulo, Brazil
Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Michigan
ARCH 411: Becoming Digital with Prof. Ellie Abrons + Ana Milagros Hurtado Castro (GSI)
Conducted course discussions and interactive workshops, evaluated and graded assignments, and provided individual consultation to support student learning.
Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Michigan
Principal Investigator: Gabriel Cuéllar + Athar Mufreh + Saylor Allen (RA)
Installation titled ‘Property Ecologies’ for the exhibition: Big, Hot and Sticky, in Houston, Texas Role included Literature Review, Illustration & Model-Making
Department of Architecture, BRAC University
Full time teaching at undergraduate level with departmental administrative responsibilities and research collaboration. Instructing: Design with Climate, Graphic Communication and foundational Design Studio courses.
Department of Architecture, BRAC University
Full time employment at undergraduate level with administrative and research related responsibilities, assisting in: Design Studios, Graphic Communication, Project Documentation and Student Consultation.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES
arch.con Architects
Part time architect working on task basis in Bangladesh. Responsibilities include design ideation, public consultation, construction document production, and implementation with site supervision. Selected Projects: Vacation House in Noakhali (2023); BATB Regional Office Complex in Rangpur (2022)
Principal Architect: Mustasim M Khan
Urban Co.Re.
Part time consultant working on task basis in Bangladesh. Responsibilities include scoping, research, design ideation, public consultation, implementation with site supervision, project documentation and dissemination. Selected Projects: Canal Redevelopment Project in Singra (2021); Community Chapel in Phulbari (2022)
Principal Consultant: Huraera Jabeen
Sangath, Vastu Shilpa Consultants
Supervised by: Balkrishna Doshi + Rajeev Kathpalia
Contributed to construction drawings for Nalanda University; co-organized the Habitat Design Studio in partnership with the University of Michigan; assisted in compiling documentation on Nalanda University and Smriti Van Memorial for publication, engaging in interdisciplinary design and research coordination.
AWARDS
Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Michigan
Third Prize awarded for Best Portfolio in the Graduate Category, Portfolio titled ‘Not A Portfolio’.
Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Michigan
Awarded for consistent, excellent academic performance in the Master of Urban Design program, reflecting sustained engagement with coursework, intensive participation in studio, and the production of outstanding thesis research.
Excellence in Research Award 2022, Bangladesh
Noman Award for Excellence in Design 2021, Bangladesh
Excellence in Design Award 2020, Bangladesh
Excellence in Design Award 2019, Bangladesh
Excellence in Design Award 2019, Bangladesh
Excellence in Design Award 2018, Bangladesh
Rafiq Azam Travel Bursary 2018, Bangladesh
Coastal Futures
Cambridge University Press 2026
Department of Architecture, BRAC University
Awarded for valuable contribution to research through undergraduate thesis. Project: Negotiating Thresholds
Department of Architecture, BRAC University
Design award for best undergraduate thesis titled, ‘Negotiating Thresholds’. Exploring the spatial thresholds of Dhaka
Department of Architecture, BRAC University
Awarded for highest score in Architectural Design Studio. Studio: ARC 502 (Year 5 Level 2); Fall 2020
Department of Architecture, BRAC University
Awarded for highest score in Architectural Design Studio. Studio: ARC 501 (Year 5 Level 1); Fall 2019
Department of Architecture, BRAC University
Awarded for highest score in Architectural Design Studio. Studio: ARC 402 (Year 4 Level 2); Summer 2019
Department of Architecture, BRAC University
Awarded for highest score in Architectural Design Studio. Studio: ARC 401 (Year 4 Level 1); Fall 2018
Department of Architecture, BRAC University
Travel scholarship awarded in a competition. Country of visit: Indonesia Documentation of journeying through the lenses of architecture, culture and geography.
PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL ARTICLES
Alam, Ehsan, María Arquero de Alarcón, Geoffrey Thün, and Kathy Velikov. “Grounding Water: Integrated Methods for Nature Based Solutions in Great Lakes Urban Coastal Regions.” Cambridge Prisms: Coastal Futures, 2026, 1–40. https://doi.org/10.1017/cft.2026.10036.
PEER REVIEWED CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
CELA 2026
Annual Conference
Mar 2026
Ohio, United States
EWRI LID Conference
Mar 2026 Florida, United States
World Green
Infrastructure Congress
Sep 2024, New Zealand
Alam, Md Ehsan, María Arquero de Alarcón, and Kathy Velikov. 2026. “Nature Manufactured: Decoupling Flood Mitigation in the ‘Water Winter-Wonderland’ State.” Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) 2026 Annual Conference, Cincinnati, Ohio, March 18–21, 2026.
Velikov, Kathy, Md Ehsan Alam, Maria Arquero de Alarcón, et al. 2026. “Multi-Disciplinary Planning for Large-Scale Nature-Based Solutions for Stormwater Mitigation and Habitat Creation in SE Michigan.” EWRI Low Impact Development Conference, Jacksonville, Florida, March.
Jabeen, Huraera, and Md Ehsan Alam. “Mimicry and Responsiveness in Urban Design: A Case of a Public Open Space Development.” Presented at the World Green Infrastructure Congress, Auckland, New Zealand, September 3–5, 2024.
MANUSCRIPTS UNDER REVIEW
Journal of Maps
Taylor & Francis 2026
KSRM Award for Future Architects 2024, Bangladesh
Alam, Ehsan “Redrawing A Violent Line: Scale, Aggregation, and the Making of Territorial Homogeneity in the 1947 Partition of Bengal.” Journal of Maps. (Under editorial review in the special issue ‘Maps of Conflict, Peace, and the Spaces In-Between’).
PUBLISHED DESIGN PROJECTS
Negotiating Thresholds
Publication of shortlisted undergraduate thesis projects for a nationwide academic award. Alam, Md Ehsan. “Negotiating Thresholds.” KSRM Award for Future Architects: Third Cycle
Sthapotya O Nirman
2021, Bangladesh
Folio 2
2018, Bangladesh
Projections & Layout
2025, United States
Property & Partition
2024, United States
Instruments of Democracy
2024, United States
Working In Mumbai 2022, Bangladesh
Negotiating Thresholds
Publication of Undergraduate Research Thesis in a magazine. Published Online, March 2021
Link: https://sthapattya-o-nirman.com/en/2021/03/08/negotiating-thresholds/
Urban Design Studio and BRAC Museum of Development
Publication of two academic projects from B.Arch in a student project compilation. Editors: Zainab F. Ali et. al. BRAC University Press, 2019. ISBN: 978-984-34-6172-8
INVITED LECTURES
Introduction to GIS
Class Lecture on Projection Systems in Cartography, Layout Design and Connotation of Projections. Instructor: Jessica Fayne, University of Michigan
Introduction to GIS
Class Lecture on Georeferencing as a method to trace historic events through the Partition of the Indian subcontinent. Instructor: Jessica Fayne, University of Michigan
Politics of Balance
Public Lecture on the National Parliament Building of Bangladesh, University of Michigan Course: Politics of Balance. Instructor: Ana Morcillo Pallares, University of Michigan
Angan Lecture Series
Panelist in ‘Working in Mumbai’ by Rahul Mehrotra. Co-Panelist: Kashef Mahboob Chowdhury; Host: Fuad Hassan Mallick, BRAC University
INVITED REVIEWS
Taubman College University of Michigan Winter 2026
Fall 2025
Summer 2025
Fall 2024
Winter 2024
GSD
Harvard University Spring 2025
Wallenberg Studio, Bachelor of Science in Architecture
Final Review of two first year studios.
Instructors: Dawn Gilpin and Charlie O’ Green + Ana Morcillo Pallares
Engaged with concepts of speculative markets, modes of exchange and vertical design.
Politics of Balance, Master of Architecture
Final Presentation of Seminar Course. Instructor: Ana Morcillo Pallarés
Engaged with themes of politics, aesthetics, and resurgence in ‘Insurgent Homes’.
Institutions Studio, Master of Architecture
Final Review of two first year studios.
Instructors: Dawn Gilpin and Charlie O’ Green + Ana Morcillo Pallarés
Engaged with concepts of speculative markets, modes of exchange and vertical design.
ArcStart, Pre-College Architecture Program
Final Presentation of ArcStart. Instructor: Saylor Allen.
Engaged with concepts of community, and self-discovery in Detroit-focused collaborative design.
Politics of Balance, Master of Architecture
Final Presentation of Seminar Course. Instructor: Ana Morcillo Pallares.
Engaged with themes of architecture’s political, cultural, and social agency, and memory.
Thesis Studio, Master of Architecture
Penultimate Thesis Review for ‘Non_Identical Studio’. Instructor: Ana Morcillo Pallares. Engaged with ecological agency, memorialization, climate adaptation, and urban transformation.
Option Studio
Final Reviews of ‘Navigating Korail’. Instructor: Fuad Hassan Mallick. Engaged with approaches to architectural and urban challenges in an informal urban setting.
Propositions Studio
WORKSHOPS CONDUCTED
2024, United States Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Michigan Demonstrating NDWI Calculation using Satellite Imagery for Graduate Architecture + Urban Design students, University of Michigan
4° Encontro de Favelas e Ocupações 2024, Brazil
União dos Movimentos de Moradia (UMM) + Centro Gaspar Garcia de Direitos Humanos + Defensoria Pública do Estado de São Paulo + Peabiru Trabalhos Comunitários e Ambientais
Organization, graphic production and logistical support for the 4° Encontro de Favelas e Ocupações, São Paulo (4th Meeting of Favelas and Occupations)
Public Design Corps, University of Michigan
Graphics Consultation Workshop
2021 - 2023, Bangladesh
Department of Architecture, BRAC University Conductor of weekly ‘Graphics Consultation’ workshop for students of the Department of Architecture, BRAC University.
COURSES TAUGHT
Yale University Teaching Fellow, Yale School of Architecture
Fall 2026
ARCH 4294 Reckoning Environmental Uncertainty (Seminar; Co-Taught)
ARCH 4900 Senior Research Colloquium (Seminar; Co-Taught)
University of Michigan Instructional Aide, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, LSA
Fall 2024 EARTH 408 Introduction to GIS (Theory + Lab Course; Co-Taught)
Graduate Student Instructor, Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning
Winter 2024
ARCH 411 Becoming Digital (Elective Course; Co-Taught)
BRAC University Lecturer, Department of Architecture
Summer 2023
ARC 101
ARC 214
ARC 251
ARC 311
Spring 2023
Fall 2022
Summer 2022
Spring 2022
ARC 102
ARC 111
ARC 214
ARC 251
ARC 311
ARC 111
ARC 202
ARC 214
ARC 251
Design I (Architectural Design Studio Course; Co-Taught)
Computer Graphics (Studio Course; Co-Taught)
Design with Climate (Theory Course)
Working Drawings I (Studio Course; Co-Taught)
Design II (Architectural Design Studio Course; Co-Taught)
Graphic Communication I (Studio Course; Co-Taught)
Computer Graphics (Studio Course; Co-Taught)
Design with Climate (Theory Course)
Working Drawings I (Studio Course; Co-Taught)
Graphic Communication I (Studio Course; Co-Taught)
Design IV (Architectural Design Studio Course; Co-Taught)
Computer Graphics (Studio Course; Co-Taught)
Design with Climate (Theory Course)
Teaching Assistant, Department of Architecture
ARC 102
ARC 113
ARC 315
ARC 101
ARC 214
ARC 292
ARC 312
Design II (Architectural Design Studio Course; Co-Taught)
Computer Aided Design (CAD) (Studio Course; Co-Taught)
Digital Visualization (Studio Course; Co-Taught)
Design I (Architectural Design Studio Course; Co-Taught)
Computer Graphics (Studio Course; Co-Taught)
Painting (Elective Studio Course; Co-Taught)
Working Drawings II (Studio Course; Co-Taught)
Fall 2021
Summer 2021
Spring 2021
MUD Student Association 2024, United States
BRAC University Convocation 2023, Bangladesh
Software Skills
ARC 101
ARC 292
PHI 521
ARC 102
ARC 432
ARC 501
ARC 511
MGT 511
Design I (Architectural Design Studio Course; Co-Taught)
Painting (Elective Studio Course; Co-Taught)
Philosophy and Architecture (Elective Theory Course; Co-Taught)
Design II (Architectural Design Studio Course; Co-Taught)
Housing and Development (Theory Course; Co-Taught)
Design IX (Architectural Design Studio Course; Co-Taught)
Seminar I (Pre-Thesis Seminar Course; Co-Taught)
Construction Management (Theory Course; Co-Taught)
ACADEMIC + PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
Graphic Designer, Master of Urban Design
Preparation of graphic material for various events of Matters of Urban Design Student Association (MUDSA), University of Michigan
Organizer, BRAC University
Production of graphical content and organization of convocation in blended mode due to COVID-19, BRAC University
PROFICIENCIES
Geographic Information System (GIS)
ESRI ArcGIS, QGIS, ArcGIS CityEngine; Graphics + Motion
Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Lightroom, Procreate;
Drawing + Modelling
Autodesk AutoCAD, Graphisoft ArchiCAD, Trimble SketchUp, Rhino; Visualization
Enscape, VRay, TwinMotion, Lumion; Office
Microsoft Office, Google Workspace
Languages English: Native Proficiency
Bangla: Native Proficiency
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP
Associate Member United States
American Institute of Architects (AIA)
AIA Huron Valley / AIA Michigan Credentials: 40912788
Associate Member Bangladesh Institute of Architects, Bangladesh (IAB) Credentials: AA - 642