A Researcher of Cities
Sharon is an architect, artist, curator, and researcher. As a Postdoctoral Associate at Cornell Tech, her current research focuses on visualizations and simulations to achieve social impact. Her recent projects include a digital twin for Roosevelt Island, an immersive VR bus ride to engage communities in climate change, and interactive storytelling maps of Covid-19 stories about living in NYC during the pandemic.
Her Ph.D. explored the linkage between urbanism and art, which was awarded the President of Israel’s Grant for Scientific Excellence and Innovation.
She received her Ph.D. from the Technion School of Architecture and Town Planning, where she graduated summa cum laude BArch and MSc. Ayalon served as the curator of the PeKA Gallery for experimental art at the Technion, Israel, and as the curator of the Gitai Architecture Museum in Israel. At the Technion, she co-founded art.espionage, the Experimental Art and Architecture Lab.
"I use technology to understand the complexity of urban environments, give shape to existing urban interfaces imagine and invent new ones.
I research interactions between people and emerging technologies in urban spaces and develop tools to help create livable and equitable cities. With a background in architecture and urban planning, I use my visual skills to visualize and simulate intangible urban issues that we might not be able to see but nonetheless affect the livability and quality of our cities. Issues such as community resiliency, gentrification, and displacement stand at the core of my research."