Dr. Shermeen Yousif is a tenure-track assistant professor and the director of the Environmental Design and Natural Materials Lab at the School of Architecture, Florida Atlantic University. 

Her interdisciplinary research sits at the confluence of artificial intelligence, advanced computational design methods, and performance-based design systems. Shermeen's current research trajectory builds on the foundations of her doctoral work, which centered on "machine learning for performance-based generative design systems." In this project, she developed a machine learning-based strategy (clustering) to address the need for design space articulation mechanisms. Her innovative method, "SC-KM," employs K-Medoids for shape clustering to improve design diversity and manage extensive solution sets in simulation and optimization-based generative design systems, facilitating successful design exploration.

At Florida Atlantic University, Shermeen has spearheaded a performance-driven AI agenda in collaboration with Professor Daniel Bolojan, emphasizing deep learning-based surrogate modeling and high-fidelity predictive models for automating specific environmental performance simulations. These models are applicable to complex scenarios and across varying scales, enabling dynamic interactions between designers and performance-driven generative systems. Her work also includes collaboration on the "Creative AI" research project (with Professor Daniel Bolojan and Emmanouil Vermisso), which aims to develop interconnected AI-driven design systems that augment creative exploration by integrating multiple AI models, such as Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) and Neural Language Models (NLMs), into novel design workflows.

More recently, her focus has expanded to applying AI strategies, environmental design methodologies, and robotic fabrication to experiment with fabricating biomaterial-based design prototypes. This includes the testing with new bio-based and natural materials, the use of computational design methods for performance modeling and simulation, robotic fabrication, and the assessment of fabricated architectural prototypes. These architectural prototypes, designed for acoustic and thermal advantages, are informed by embodied carbon metrics to achieve decarbonization.

Shermeen is also the founder and director of Deep-Ecology Design Studio, a research-driven practice dedicated to the exploration of innovative architectural projects. The studio integrates generative AI methodologies with environmental performance simulations to develop Net-Zero building designs and achieving resilience and decarbonization.

Shermeen's research contributions have resulted in the development of several computational methods to augment generative design systems, numerous double-blind peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and other scholarly outputs. Her work has garnered multiple awards and research grants, including the AIA Florida Award for Research (2022, 2024), the AIA Fort Lauderdale Educator of the Year Award (2023), and the FAU Broward Faculty of the Year Award (2024). She was also elected to the ACADIA Board of Directors for 2023–2025, among other distinctions.

Shermeen has cultivated impactful relationships with esteemed architectural firms globally, such as Perkins Eastman, where she delivered a keynote lecture on AI and architecture during their technology marathon in 2023. As a featured speaker, she was invited to speak at multiple venues including the Smart Cities MIAMI Conference, April 2024, the AutoRobo Expo 2024, and DigitalFutures (2020, 2021, 2022). Additionally, Shermeen has actively contributed and participated in international computational conferences including ACADIA, CAAD-futures, and CAADRIA. Shermeen has also offered and co-taught multiple international workshops, including NOMAS x ACADIA’s Workshop “Introduction to Computational Design and AI” (2023 and 2024). For the DigitalFUTURES, Shermeen offered the workshop “Creative AI Ecologies” for 2020, and 2021, and for ACADIA, she offered the workshop “Latent Morphologies: Disentangling Design Spaces”; all three workshops were co-taught with Daniel Bolojan and Emmanouil Vermisso.

Shermeen has presented her work at a number of institutions, including the ISD Innsbruck Lecture Series, Cornell University, and Florida International University, among other institutions. In addition, Shermeen has fostered a number of collaborations. Her recent collaborations include working on developing research on testing with biomaterials for acoustic design systems. Within FAU, she has established collaboration with the computer science program and is a member of the Center of Connected Autonomy and AI.  

Shermeen holds a doctoral degree (with honors) in architecture from Texas A&M University and a Master of Architecture from the Dessau Institute of Architecture at the Bauhaus, as well as a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Baghdad.