Grasshopper UK User Group Meeting | July 2026

Barbara Vasilatou – Barbara is a Principal and Head of Digital EMEA at Populous, overseeing the development of digital products for the sports and entertainment industry. She led the creation of a custom seating bowl design tool that streamlines venue design and enhances performance. An accomplished architect and computational design specialist, she brings expertise in generative design, big data, and immersive user experience, positioning her as a key leader in digital innovation at Populous.

Shahram Sabery — Shahram is a Senior Associate and Senior Designer at Populous and co-director of research cluster 2 at the bartlett school of architecture, specialising in computational and parametric design for innovative and complex geometries. He has contributed to landmark projects including the Moulay Abdallah Stadium, Moulay Hasan Stadium and Grand Stade de Casablanca, playing a key role in delivering complex geometries and high-performance design solutions at an international scale.

Puja Bhagat — Puja is an Associate and Computational Designer on the Populous Digital Team, working globally across the practice to support projects of all scales and typologies. She plays a key role in developing global digital products and provides advanced computational design expertise, from analytics and façade design to fabrication and Rhino-to-Revit interoperability, to help teams deliver smarter, more integrated solutions.

Zigor Marroquín Martínez – Head of Alucoil’s Technical Department. Industrial engineer. Student, teacher and now Content Director of the first Architectural Envelope Master’s Degree in Spain. Over 20 years designing, calculating and loving architectural cladding. Computers should repeat tasks, not humans. Natural-born perfectionist and passionate educator.

Jonathan Wong – Jonathan Wong is an Associate and Computational Designer at Populous. He holds an M.Arch in Emergent Technologies and Design from the Architectural Association, along with a B.Arch and B.S. in Mathematics from Penn State University. His work focuses on developing computational workflows, digital tools, and analysis methods that help architects and designers make informed, data-driven decisions throughout the design process. At Populous, he works across venue design, seating bowl analysis, sightlines, facade panelisation, data visualization, and project-specific computational design services, translating complex technical requirements into practical tools and workflows for design teams.

Swati Singh – Swati Singh is an architect specialising in computational design and complex building envelopes, with experience across large-scale sports, entertainment, and urban projects in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Following her advanced research training at the Architectural Association Design Research Lab, she has developed strong expertise in parametric workflows, optimisation, and performance-driven design. Her work integrates computational tools into architectural delivery, enabling efficient development from concept through to construction stages. At Populous and in subsequent roles, Swati has contributed to major stadiums, arenas, and masterplans, leading envelope strategies, roof design, and multidisciplinary coordination. Her experience spans design development, digital modelling, and package delivery, with a focus on translating complex geometry into buildable solutions. She brings a research-led, systems-driven approach to architecture, combining design, technology, and performance to deliver innovative and context responsive solutions.

Luke Parkhurst – Luke Parkhurst is a Senior Creative Designer in Experience Studios at Populous, working at the intersection of visualisation and computational design. He uses tools such as Houdini and Unreal Engine to develop novel creative pipelines that accelerate production, unlock new design possibilities, and bring complex ideas to life with speed and clarity.

Georgios Athanasopoulos – Georgios Athanasopoulos is a Lead Computational Designer at CORE Studio London, the research and development incubator of Thornton Tomasetti. His work focuses on advanced computational and parametric design methods rooted in complex geometry, delivering detail-oriented solutions for the firm’s Structures and Facades practices. He also supports the development of proprietary tools for the Facades Practice through Thornton Tomasetti’s internal R&D initiatives, including the Embodied Carbon Calculator and the Facade Deflections App. Prior to joining Thornton Tomasetti, Georgios worked with Foster + Partners’ Specialist Modelling Group, Knippers Helbig, and Dimitri Tsakalakis Studio. Georgios holds a Bachelor of Architecture (BArch) from Technical University of Crete, a Master of Architecture in Urban Design (MArch) from Harvard Graduate School of Design, and a PhD from University of Cambridge. He has previously taught as a Lecturer in Digital Architecture at University of Kent, where he contributed to the MSc in Bio-Digital Architecture programme, and later served as a Practice Fellow at University of Sheffield. His doctoral research in Graphic Statics explores intuitive geometric approaches to structural design, leveraging computational geometry to enhance the understanding and design of structural equilibrium.

Philipp is the co-founder of Romantic Technology, where he builds AI-native CAD tools and researches how designers interact with technology. He studied Architecture at TU Munich and began his career as an architect before moving to the Boston Consulting Group, where he spent four years focusing on energy infrastructure and AI projects. Motivated by the gap between design intent and digital capability, Philipp founded Romantic Technology together with Moritz and Maximilian Rietschel to rethink how AI can augment creativity in architecture and design.