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Cleo Valentine
I am a Senior Design Researcher in Neuroarchitecture at HKS and a Vice Chancellor's Doctoral Scholar at the University of Cambridge
My work explores the impact of architectural forms on neuroimmunological activity, with a particular focus on the relationship between neuroinflammation and the built environment. This research aims to uncover new insights that can inform architectural practices to promote better health outcomes.
Currently, I serve as the Senior Research and Innovation Lead at the UCL/Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE) Centre for NeuroArchitecture and NeuroDesign and the Neurophysiology Lead at Beautiful Places AI.
My research partnerships include collaborations with Heatherwick Studio’s Humanise Campaign, and I maintain affiliations with the University College London Spatial Cognition Lab, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Urban Studies and Planning, and the University of Cambridge Design Engineering Centre. I also lecture on neuroscience and architecture at Politecnico di Milano and the University of Cambridge.
In my editorial roles, I am an Associate Editor for Intelligent Buildings International and a Guest Editor for Buildings on the special issue "BioCognitive Architectural Design"
Recently, I completed a Doctoral Visiting Fellowship at Harvard University in the Department of Environmental Health and will be conducting research across the Harvard Medical School network in the coming year.
Please feel free to contact me via email, add me on Linkedin or follow my research updates on Google Scholar.
Publications
Valentine (2023)
DOI:10.3390/ijerph20095637
DOI:10.3390/ijerph20095637
Valentine (2023)
DOI:10.3390/ijerph20032735Valentine (2024)
DOI:10.3389/fcomp.2023.1237531DOI: 10.3390/buildings14051292
DOI: 10.1080/17508975.2024.2407319
DOI: 10.1136/bmj.q2773
DOI.org/10.3390/brainsci15020201
DOI.org/10.1016/j.foar.2025.05.004
DOI: registration pending
Publication forthcoming
Publication forthcoming
Research Ongoing
Research Ongoing
Research Ongoing
Research Ongoing
A Computational Analysis of Sensory Environments
Research Ongoing
A Computer Vision and Machine Learning Approach
Conferences
Office for the New Earth
KU Leuven
iMotions Citymakers Collective
Institute for Livable Cities
Heatherwick Studio
Heatherwick Studio
Institute for Livable Cities
Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture
UCL & Royal Society of Medicine
Tufts University
University of Cambridge
Sfera Institute
Media & Press
Bio
Cleo Valentine is a Senior Design Researcher at HKS and Vice Chancellor's Doctoral Scholar at the University of Cambridge. Her research, conducted under joint supervision from the Department of Architecture and the Computational Neuroscience Group, examines the impact of visual exposure to architectural forms on allostatic activity and neurophysiological stress. In doing so, she is working to establish the emerging field of architectural neuroimmunology.
Currently, she serves as the Senior Research and Innovation Lead at the UCL/Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE) Centre for NeuroArchitecture and NeuroDesign and as the Neurophysiology Lead at Beautiful Places AI. She also leads a research partnership with the Heatherwick Studio Humanise Campaign and maintains research affiliations with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Urban Studies and Planning, the University College London Spatial Cognition Lab, and the University of Cambridge Design Engineering Centre. In addition, she serves in advisory capacities for the UK Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government and the USA National Council of Architectural Registration Boards.
Her work has been exhibited at the Venice Architecture Biennale (2025) and will be included in the 2025 Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism. Her research has been featured in WIRED, El Mundo, RIBA Journal, Dezeen, and Psyche, and she has published in the British Medical Journal, Frontiers in Architectural Research, and Buildings, as well as an upcoming book chapter in the Routledge Handbook of Neuroscience and the Built Environment.
Cleo completed a Doctoral Visiting Fellowship in Public Health at Harvard University (2025) and holds an MPhil in Architecture and Urban Studies from the University of Cambridge (2022), an MSc in Sustainable Urban Development from the University of Oxford (2019), and a BA in Urban Systems and Economics from McGill University and the University of Copenhagen (2016).
Partners
Cambridge
Google Scholar
Academia.edu