Dawn Gilpin

Dawn Gilpin is a faculty member in the College of Architecture whose work bridges architectural design, historic and cultural preservation, and emerging technologies. She teaches architectural design studios alongside specialized courses that introduce students to immersive technologies and professional certification workflows in LiDAR scanning. Her teaching and research emphasize the ways advanced documentation technologies can expand architectural practice, support preservation, and provide new approaches to understanding complex places and cultural landscapes.

As co-founder of the Empathy in Point-Clouds (EIPC) Scan Lab, alongside associate professor of architecture Robert Adams, Dawn leads cross-disciplinary initiatives that use advanced 3D metrology to preserve complex spatial narratives. The lab brings together architecture, technology, and cultural preservation, providing students with opportunities to engage directly with emerging tools and real-world documentation projects. This research is strengthened by a strategic industry partnership with FARO Insight / Ametek, ensuring that students and research teams train on industry-standard instrumentation.

Her global and local fieldwork focuses on cultural preservation and spatial justice. Key projects include collaboration with archaeologists at Teotihuacan, Mexico, to digitally map the Ciudadela and the recently discovered tunnel beneath the Temple of the Feathered Serpent. Closer to home, the EIPC Scan Lab supports the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan through critical documentation efforts at the historic Mt. Pleasant Indian Industrial Boarding School site. These projects demonstrate the potential of digital technologies to document, interpret, and preserve sites of significant cultural and historical value.

Dawn Gilpin holds a master of architecture from SCI-Arc (Southern California Institute of Architecture) and a bachelor of interior architecture from Auburn University.