Dr Robert Woodbury is a Professor Emeritus at Simon Fraser University. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Carleton University (Lieutenant Governor’s Silver Medal) and a Master of Science and PhD from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). He was a faculty member in Architecture and the Engineering Design Research Center at CMU from 1982-1993; at The University of Adelaide (Australia) from 1993-2001; at the Technical University of British Columbia from 2001-2002; and at Simon Fraser University (SFU) from 2002-2020, where he achieved the rank of University Professor. He was the founding Chair of the Graduate Program in the School of Interactive Arts and Technology at SFU. From 2005-2008, he was Scientific Director of the Canadian Design Research Network, and from 2009-2015, the Director, Art and Design Practice of the Games, Animation and New Media Network in Canada.
His research is in computational design, particularly parametric and generative design, and visual analytics. He has over 200 publications, including his book Elements of Parametric Design. His most recent work, on the D.Star system, demonstrates the potential of human-computer interfaces for design space exploration. In 2009, he chaired Team North, a Canadian entry to the 2009 Solar Decathlon and co-led a project to build West House, a solar demonstration house at the 2010 Olympics. In 2008, he was awarded the Innovative Research Award from the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture and the Tee Sasada Award from the Association for Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia. In 2000, he was awarded the Stephen Cole the Elder Prize for teaching excellence at The University of Adelaide. He is a former Olympian in sailing and a current National Race Officer in the sport.