Projects per year
Personal profile
Personal profile
Xin Zhao is currently a Teaching Lecturer in the Department of Industrial Design at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU). Before joining XJTLU, she gained extensive professional experience in design practice across international and Chinese contexts, including positions at renowned firms such as Sasaki and AECOM. Her work spans large-scale urban design, landscape architecture, and public space design, as well as smaller-scale installation and spatial design projects.
Xin holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Design from Tongji University and dual Master’s degrees in Landscape Architecture and Design Studies from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, with a specialization in Urbanism, Landscape, and Ecology. Building on her interdisciplinary and cross-scale design background, her current research interests focus on human-centered and intelligent interactive design, particularly the relationship between people, technology, objects, and spatial environments. Her broader interests include design innovation, social impact, inclusive design, and the application of emerging technologies in public and community contexts.
Research interests
Human-centered design
Intelligent interaction design
Human–technology–space interaction
Inclusive design
Public and community contexts
Spatial experience
Environmental design
Experience
Teaching Lecturer, Xian Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, China - 2023 to present
Senior Designer and Landscape Architect, Sasaki Associates, Boston, USA - 2017 to 2023
Project Consultant, Architectural Design and Research Institute of Tsinghua University, Beijing, China - 2022 to 2023
Deputy Secretary General, Fujian Provincial Artists Association Architecture Art Committee - 2022 to 2023
Landscape Architect, Leblanc Jones Landscape Architects, Boston, USA - 2017
Teaching Assistant, Harvard University Graduate School of Design - 2016
Associate Landscape Architect, Mikyoung Kim Design, Boston, USA - 2016
Associate Landscape Architect, Reed Hilderbrand, Boston, USA - 2015
Associate Urban Designer and Landscape Architect, AECOM, Shanghai, China - 2010 to 2013
Teaching
Guest Lecturer, ‘Regenerating Boston’, a joint guest lecture prepared for UPD401 Theory Practice of Urban Regeneration and UPD109 History and Purpose of Planning at XJTLU Department of Urban Planning and Design - 2022
Research Assistant, Harvard University Graduate School of Design - 2015 to 2016
UPD 407: Place-Making and Urban Design, Master Program Year 1, S1, AY23-24
UPD 211: Urban Design and Theory I, Undergraduate Program Year 3, S1, AY23-24
UPD 210: Urban Design and Theory II, Undergraduate Program Year 3, S2, AY22-23
UPD 004: Introduction to Urban Planning and Design, Undergraduate Program Year 1, S2, AY22-23.
Awards and honours
Faculty Advisor, IFLA Global Landscape Architecture Awards 2026, International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA), 2026
Outstanding Supervisor Award, 2025 China Human Settlements Design Academic Year Award (2025 “中国人居环境设计学年奖”优秀指导教师)
Faculty Advisor, Outstanding Award, World Landscape Architecture (WLA) Student Awards
Faculty Advisor, Silver Award (Interior Category), 2025 Academy Award China Interior and Environmental Design Competition (2025学院杯中国室内与环境设计大赛)
Faculty Advisor, Silver Award, 11th China Human Settlements Environment Design Academic Year Awards
Faculty Advisor, Honorary Award, 16th YuanYe Awards
Design School Teaching Excellence Award - Xi’an Jiaotong · Liverpool University - 2024
American Institute of Architects (AIA) Boston Chapter Merit Award, Campus Planning and Urban Design Awards - 2022
Fast Co. World Changing Ideas Awards, Honorable Mention - Urban Design Category - 2021
Honorable Mention in the “Conceptual - Design” category, World Landscape Architecture (WLA) Professional Awards - 2021
American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Boston Chapter Merit Award, Analysis Planning, 2020
“Best Chinese Futura Project” with Bronze Distinction, 2018 MIPIM Asia - 2018
2nd Prize, International Competition of Young Designers for Open Space leading down the East Bank of the Huangpu River - 2016
Education/Academic qualification
Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Supporting Learning in Higher Education (Graduate with Distinction), University of Liverpool, UK
Award Date: 31 Aug 2025
Master, Master in Landscape Architecture, Harvard University
Award Date: 26 May 2017
Master, Master in Design Studies , Harvard University
Award Date: 26 May 2017
Bachelor, BA in Environmental Design, Tongji University
Award Date: 1 Jun 2013
Research areas
- Human-centered design
- Intelligent interaction design
- Human–technology–space interaction
- Inclusive design
- Emerging technologies
- Public and community contexts
- Spatial experience
- Environmental design
Person Types
- Staff
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being -
SDG 4 Quality Education -
SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy -
SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth -
SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure -
SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities -
SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production -
SDG 13 Climate Action -
SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions -
SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or
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Data-Driven Microclimate Monitoring with Explainable AI for Climate-Adaptive Design in Tiger Hill Wetland Park, Suzhou
Zhao, X. (PI), Zhang, Q. (CoI), Lin, L. (CoI) & Li, L. (CoI)
1/01/26 → 31/12/28
Project: Internal Research Project
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Built Environment for Healthy Cities and Urban Sustainability: An Interdisciplinary Project-Based Learning Initiative
Lin, L. (PI), Zhao, X. (CoI), Li, L. (CoI), Yonto, D. (CoI), Kao, S.-Y. (CoI) & Hao, J. (CoI)
1/09/24 → 1/03/27
Project: Internal Research Project
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Quantifying the Value of Human Emotional Tie to Preferred Wildlife in Parks of Dense Urban Context: Case Study of An Eco-Park in China
Wang, Y. (PI) & Zhao, X. (CoI)
1/09/23 → …
Project: Collaborative Research Project
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Client-Partnered Renewal of Suzhou's Industrial Heritage: An Interdisciplinary Project for Sustainable Robotics Park Design
Zhao, X. (PI), Lin, L. (CoI), Hao, J. (CoI) & Li, L. (CoI)
3/09/24 → 31/08/25
Project: Internal Research Project
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Comparing Emotional Experiences in Ecological and Traditional Urban Parks: A Quantitative Study of Visitor Responses in Suzhou's Huqiu Wetland Park and Suzhou Park
Zhao, X. (PI)
4/06/24 → 30/08/24
Project: Internal Research Project
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Cre8Place Lab Exhibition: UPD Review Works 2026
Cho, H. R. (Designer), Huang, Y. (Designer), Wang, Y. (Designer), Chen, B. (Designer), Kim, K. (Designer), Chang, Y. (Designer), Lei, Y. (Other), Zhao, X. (Other) & Li, X. (Other), 8 Jun 2026Research output: Practice-based research output › Exhibition/ Event/ Festival › Curated works: Physical Exhibition/ Event/ Festival
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2024 UPD Summer Exhibition: Papers published on our lands / UPD暑期展览：写在大地上的论文
Huang, Y. (Designer), Chang, Y. (Other), Chen, B. (Other), Cho, H. R. (Other), Chung, H.-C. (Other), Kao, S.-Y. (Other), Kim, K. (Other), Kim, J. S. (Other), Lee, J. H. (Other), Lei, Y. (Other), Lin, L. (Other), Pellegrini, P. (Other), Song, J. (Other), Sturup, S. (Other), Wang, R. (Other), Wang, Y. (Other), Wang, X. (Other), Xu, Y. (Other), Yonto, D. (Other) & Zhang, Q. (Other) & 5 others, , 20 Jun 2024Research output: Practice-based research output › Exhibition/ Event/ Festival › Curated works: Physical Exhibition/ Event/ Festival
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AY2023-24 S1 Urban Design Studio Online Exhibition
Chen, B. (Producer), Lei, Y. (Producer), Zhao, X. (Producer), Pellegrini, P. (Producer), Wang, Y. (Producer), Ren, K. (Other), Gan, W. (Other) & Vichnevetskaia, A. (Other), 2 Feb 2024Research output: Practice-based research output › Exhibition/ Event/ Festival › Curated works: Web-based (virtual) Exhibition
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Suzhou Industrial Park, 30 years and beyond
Zhao, X., Sept 2024, In: National University of Singapore Cities. p. 54-67 14 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Open AccessFile612 Downloads (Pure) -
Public Space Engagement of Singapore Migrant Workers
Zhao, X., Apr 2021, Reading Beyond. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Graduate School of DesignResearch output: Chapter in Book or Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Activities
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The 2nd XJTLU-UNNC Conference 2026/The 7th UNNC Symposium on Architecture and Urbanism 2026:
Lei, Y. (Organiser), Chen, B. (Organiser), Zhang, Q. (Participant), Schnabel, M. A. (Participant), Kim, J. S. (Participant), Wang, X. (Participant), Ren, Y. (Participant), Yonto, D. (Participant), Kao, S.-Y. (Participant), Lin, L. (Participant), Cho, H. R. (Participant), Kim, K. (Participant), Zhao, X. (Participant), Wang, Y. (Participant), Xu, Y. (Participant), Chung, H.-C. (Participant), Sturup, S. (Participant), Lee, J. H. (Participant), Song, J. (Participant), Han, J. (Participant), Deng, W. (Organiser), Zhou, T. (Organiser), Hong, G. (Organiser), Wang, C. (Organiser), Qiu, D. (Participant), Cooper, E. (Participant), Wei, X. (Participant), Sun, J. (Participant), Chen, P. (Participant), Sun, L. (Participant), Yi, X. (Participant), Raffat, R. (Participant), Loo, Y.-M. (Participant), Zhang, Z. (Participant), Du, D. (Participant), Yang, X. (Participant), Liu, Y. (Participant), Lu, J. (Participant), Jian, H. (Participant), Ni, H. (Participant), Mao, Y. (Participant), Tian, Y. (Participant), Chen, J. (Participant), Feng, X. (Participant), Wu, Z. (Participant), Zhao, P. (Participant), Shaw, D. (Participant), Liu, J. (Participant), Tang, Y. (Participant), Hui, C. M. (Participant), Zhang, X. (Participant) & Santamouris, M. (Participant)
6 Jun 2026 → 7 Jun 2026Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Organising an event e.g. a conference, workshop, …
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DES406 PG Student, Wangzhe Xu
Zhao, X. (Supervisor) & Cho, H. R. (Co-supervisor)
1 Jul 2025 → 30 Apr 2026Activity: Supervision › Master Dissertation Supervision
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Master Dissertation Research: Yuqi Sun
Ren, Y. (Supervisor) & Zhao, X. (Co-supervisor)
1 Jul 2025 → 30 Jan 2026Activity: Supervision › Master Dissertation Supervision
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Mentor Collective (External organisation)
Zhao, X. (Member)
Jul 2025Activity: Membership › other membership
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The 6th UNNC Symposium 2025: Urban Transition and Renewable Energies
Zhao, X. (Participant)
26 May 2025 → 27 May 2025Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participating in an event e.g. a conference, workshop, …