Associate ProfessorDagmar Reinhardt

PhD,Sydney; Master of Architectural (Concept Design), Hochschule der Bildenden Künste, Frankfurt; Diploma, Architectural Studies (Technical),Hanover.

Dr Dagmar Reinhardt is a practising architect, researcher and educator whose work sits at the international forefront of architectural robotics and accessible design. She holds a PhD from the University of Sydney, a Master of Architectural (Concept) Design from the Hochschule der Bildenden Künste, Frankfurt, and a Diploma in Architectural Studies from the Technical University of Hannover, Germany. At the School of Architecture, Design and Planning, University of Sydney, she leads the robotics research group  and has held guest and visiting professorships at Leopold-Franzens University Innsbruck and the Aarhus School of Architecture, Denmark. As founding Program Director of the Bachelor of Architecture and Environments (2014–2018) and former Head of Architecture (2020–2021), she has shaped architectural education at Sydney across two decades, with her research-led design studios regularly recognised by the Australian Institute of Architects NSW with National Student Awards for Structural and Digital Innovation. As a practising architect (reinhardtjung.de), her built works, competitions and installations are research-based and have received numerous awards for affordable, multi-generational residential design.

Reinhardt's research investigates the intersection of architecture, acoustics, structure, robotic fabrication, and material and construction constraints, translating computational design and robotics into new possibilities for the built environment. She examines how robotic fabrication methods can adapt geometry, materiality and construction sequencing to resolve the tension between human labour and construction automation, and leads industry- and government-funded projects developing new robotic applications for safer, healthier construction workspaces. Her international standing in this field is reflected in her role as Associate Editor of Springer's Construction Robotics journal, her chairing of the Rob|Arch 2016 conference, and her invitation to serve as an international assessor for the German Research Foundation (DFG). She is also the founder of SHErobots, an international platform and exhibition series advancing women's leadership in construction, social and creative robotics, which has expanded from Sydney to Delft and engaged scholars and practitioners across more than eight countries.

Alongside this, Reinhardt leads international research  in accessibility and universal design for Blind, Low Vision and DeafBlind communities, extending her expertise in acoustic and material perception into questions of tactile, haptic and multisensory design. She currently leads the Australian Research Council Discovery "Accessible Playgrounds for Visually Impaired Children", developed with early childhood educators, vision teachers and organisations including Guide Dogs, Vision Australia and NextSense, and leads the Museum of Touch initiative, developed in partnership with the Chau Chak Wing Museum. This work was awarded the 2025 Universal Design Awards (Germany).