Faculty Spotlight: Patricia Kio

Patricia Njideka Kio, Ph.D, was born and raised in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Her parents grew up in their hometowns of Ozubulu and Nnewi in Anambra State and settled in the city to work at Shell Petroleum Development Company, Port Harcourt, Rivers State. She was influenced to choose the subject of technical drawing due to her dad’s career in mechanical engineering. Her mum taught in elementary schools for over 20 years. She studied Architecture at Rivers State University and obtained her Bachelor of Technology and Master of Science degrees in Architecture at the same university in 2003 and 2010 respectively. 

She obtained her professional license to practice architecture in Nigeria in 2014 and served her chapter in different committees. One of the remarkable contributions was as the secretary of the exhibition committee of the first West African Architecture Festival which was a celebration of global and African architects in Rivers State. This was the venue of her first conference presentation too!

In 2017, Patricia began a Master of Science program. Two months into the study her gracious advisor, Dr. Ahmed K. Ali suggested that she apply to switch to the doctoral program while recommending her to the department for the work done so far. She successfully switched to the doctoral study. She went on to receive her PhD in Architecture in 2021 from Texas A&M University, College Station Texas.

Her academic career at Fitchburg State has been enriching. Courses she has taught include Engineering Graphics, Building Construction Systems, Building Design I, Building Design II, Architectural Design, Engineering Technology Capstone where the students collaborate on the United States Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon Design Challenge. Other courses she has taught are Material Testing and Quality Control, and Seminar in Architecture.

Some notable awards Patricia has received include the King Student Medal Award for excellence in Architectural + Environmental Research. This award is given to one student per Architectural Research Centers Consortium (ARCC) member college, school or institute. The award is in honor of the late Jonathan King, co-founder and first president of the ARCC. She also won the Best Graduate Poster Award at the College of Architecture Graduation Ceremony, 2019. Patricia was the best graduating student (valedictorian) during her undergraduate study at the Department of Architecture in 2003.

Besides designing and research, Patricia is also a member of the Technology | Architecture + Design Journal where she serves her field of discipline in a team of seasoned researchers. She has also reviewed for Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management Journal, Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, and architecture conferences. 

She is gratefully raising two daughters with her loving husband in Fitchburg. They love reading, watching movies and playing board games.

Publications

Ali A.K., Kio P. Finding Perfection in Imperfection. In ARCC Conference Repository 2018 Sep 25. https://www.arcc-journal.org/index.php/repository/article/view/698/570 

Ali A.K., Kio P. From Conventional Recycling to Creative Reuse: Empowering Local Industrial Resources Through Synergistic Practices. 2018 https://doi.org/10.35483/ACSA.Intl.2018.22 

Ali A.K., Kio P.N., Alvarado J, Wang Y. Symbiotic circularity in buildings: an alternative path for valorizing sheet metal waste stream as metal building facades. Waste and Biomass Valorization. 2020 Dec;11:7127-45. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12649-020-01060-y 

Ali A.K., Layton A., Kio P., Williams J. Matrix Trays: From waste to opportunities. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2021 Jun 1;300:126813. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126813 

Kio P., Ali A.K.., Dvorak B. Cooling Effects of a Modular Living Wall System in a Humid Subtropical Climate. Journal of Living Architecture. 2023 https://livingarchitecturemonitor.com/s/JLIV2023Volume10_Issue2-CoolingLivingWall.pdf 

Kio P., Ali A.K. In situ experimental evaluation of a novel modular living wall system for industrial symbiosis. Energy and Buildings. 2021 Dec 1;252:111405. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2021.111405 

Kio P.N., Anumba C.J., Ali A.K. Circular Economy Trends–Potential Role of Emerging Technologies. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 2022 Nov 1 (Vol. 1101, No. 6, p. 062005). IOP Publishing. https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/1101/6/062005#:~:text=New%20circular%20economy%20approaches%2C%20and,%2C%20models%2C%20and%20global%20systems. 

Kio P.N. Activating Circular Economy through Industrial Symbiosis: A Case Study of a Novel Modular Living Wall System (Doctoral dissertation). 2021 https://oaktrust.library.tamu.edu/handle/1969.1/196405