Darcy Zelenko

James Cox PhD Scholarship | 2022

I grew up in Bairnsdale, a small town in country Victoria. I attended Nagle College and through the bequest of academic scholarship, completed VCE at Gippsland Grammar in 2008. As the eldest of four, I was among the first in my extended family to finish high school and attend University, commencing undergraduate studies in 2010.

I completed architectural studies at the University of Melbourne, graduating in 2016 with a Master of Architecture. Throughout my studies I nurtured a keen interest in digital design and making which saw me

commence work at the Faculty’s Fab Lab. Since then, I remained at the University, developing skills in digital fabrication and computational design. I also discovered a passion for built environment teaching. I’ve also worked as a manufacturing consultant utilising my extensive knowledge of timber CNC fabrication.

I married my long-term partner Alexandra in 2020, at one of the last weddings held before the extended COVID-19 lockdowns. A year later our daughter, Elliot, was born and we are currently living our best life in

Kensington. Alex works as a midwife, and outside of studying, I teach which means our household is very active.

I chose Monash University primarily for the teaching and research culture it fosters, particularly that of which is centred around the built environment disciplines. This is through the attraction of academics with interests similar to my own, the provision of cutting-edge technology and resources available for me to utilise during my studies, and the range of disciplines that Monash offers, particularly relating to broader fields of design and engineering.

During my previous career working in a university context as a Fab Lab technician, I greatly wanted to work with academics on pursuits involving cutting-edge fabrication research and large-scale prototyping. These opportunities scarcely presented themselves as the city of Melbourne doesn’t attract a great deal of this research. I want to be the academic pursuing these ventures at Monash, through my own research work and alongside teaching endeavours. I’ve begun establishing working

relationships with the different technical workshops at Monash to facilitate this and am currently planning to lead my first elective in the winter semester of 2022.

In regard to my own studies, I want to use this year to develop a conceptual base for my research so I can lean into my extensive professional experience in the coming years to help realise it.

I have a Bachelor of Environments (Architectural Studies major) and a Master of Architecture. During these courses I developed a passion for using computers to produce architecture, which has driven my professional career over the last 5-6 years. During that time I’d amassed a great deal of experience working in digital fabrication and using computational design techniques to augment the technology I interacted with on a day-to-day basis. Observing current design and housing trends in Melbourne, I saw an opportunity to direct my work towards addressing the large housing problem the city is currently facing.

Choosing my PhD topic was both easy and hard. Easy in the sense that it’s essentially taking the things I’m passionate about, the ideas that are always at the forefront of my mind, and just pointing them in a certain direction for 3-4 years. The hard part is trying to lasso them, articulate what exactly they are, and triage the ones that have the potential to go the distance.

This occurred over a 3-6 month period during Melbourne’s last long lockdown. It involved a few hours of discussion with colleagues and potential supervisors who would offer feedback, but most of the time was dedicated to reading and writing. Coming from a background that uses drawings to communicate ideas, academic writing is a tool that I’m quite rusty at. I persevered and made an effort to write every night for a few hours after putting my daughter to bed.

Following my application, I was excited to receive the offer from Monash. I was (and still am!) interested in the work that the Future Building Initiative are doing and wanted to study under their guidance, and the technological capacity that Monash has is in terms of workshop facilities is fantastic.

I valued being personally invited to meet with the staff and department heads at MADA, and while small, the school gave off a village vibe that I really appreciated. Having worked at a large University for 8 years, I don’t believe a Faculty has to be large to produce quality output. In fact, larger organisations are often hindered by the level of bureaucracy required to run them.

I was intrigued to find out that Monash had so many international campuses. The potential to connect with academics across the world through the international connections established by Monash was a secondary reason that led me to choose Monash.