MsNeetha Joseph Kalappurakkal
Graduate Researcher
Faculty of Science Engineering and Built Environment/School of Architecture and Built Environment
- Graduate ResearcherFaculty of Science Engineering and Built Environment/School of Architecture and Built Environment
- Off Campus
BIO
Neetha Joseph Kalappurakkal is an architect, visual designer, illustrator, and researcher based between Hyderabad and Kerala, India. She is currently a cotutelle PhD scholar pursuing her doctoral studies in Design at the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad and in Architecture and Built Environment at Deakin University.
Trained in architecture and working at the intersection of spatial practice and visual inquiry, her work explores how built environments communicate through form, ornament, inscription, and surface — often situated within Keralam’s layered socio-cultural landscape. Her research engages visual culture, architectural ornamentation, typography, and material heritage, examining how visual systems shape identity, memory, and collective belonging.
Working across photography, archival documentation, typological mapping, and design-led interpretation, she approaches architecture not only as structure but as a cultural text embedded in history, craft, and circulation. Her projects reflect a sustained engagement with Kerala’s visual and material traditions while remaining attentive to broader questions of visual rhetoric and design research.
Her research and visual work have been presented through academic conferences and curated exhibitions, including the Kochi Muziris Biennale as a part of Students’ Biennale (2025–26) and Visualizing Knowledge 2025, and have been featured in OpenSea, Malayala Manorama, The Hindu, The New Indian Express, Outlook India and The Better India.
DEAKIN UNIVERSITY CURRENT APPOINTMENT
- Graduate ResearcherDeakin University, Faculty of Science Engineering and Built Environment/School of Architecture and Built Environment
DEGREES
- Bachelor of ArchitectureMahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, India2017 - 2022
- Master in Visual DesignIndian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Sangāreddi, India2023 - 2025
- Doctor of PhilosophyIndian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Sangāreddi, India2025 - 2030
- Doctor of PhilosophyDeakin University, Burwood, Australia2026 - 2030
CERTIFICATIONS
- COA Registered ArchitectCouncil of Architecture - India, IndiaRegistered Architect in India
LANGUAGES
- EnglishCan read, write, speak and understand
- MalayalamCan read, write, speak and understand
- HindiCan read, write, speak and understand
- GermanCan read, write and speak
- ArabicCan read, write and speak
- TamilCan speak and understand
FIELDS OF RESEARCH
- Architecture
- Visual cultures
- Visual communication design (incl. graphic design)
- Architectural history, theory and criticism
- Design history, theory and criticism
AREA/FACULTY
- Faculty of Science Engineering and Built Environment
DEPARTMENT/SCHOOL/INSTITUTE/DISCIPLINE
- School of Architecture and Built Environment