Rachely Rotem, Founding Director of MODU and studio futurist, has led MODU since its founding in 2012. Rachely directed the design of many projects in MODU, including the Cloud Seeding plaza pavilion and the Heart Squared public artwork. Along with Phu Hoang, she was awarded the 2017 Founders Rome Prize in Architecture, since 1897 an annual prize to those “who represent the highest standards of excellence in the arts and humanities.” She has also been awarded the Emerging Voices award from the Architectural League of New York (2019) and the US-Japan Creative Artists fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts (2018).
Rachely holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree (Cum Laude) from Technion in Haifa and a Master’s in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University. She currently teaches in Rhode Island School of design and recently at MIT. Rachely is a fellow of the American Academy in Rome, a licensed architect in Israel, and a LEED Accredited Professional in Building Design and Construction.