Dr. Santoro received his Master’s Degree in Building Engineering and Ph.D. in Architecture and Construction from the University of Rome “Tor Vergata.” He has 20 years of experience in the field of Architecture and Construction. He started his professional career in Rome by taking part in the design of public facilities and conservation master plans.

In 2003, he moved to China where he worked as a researcher and architectural designer at the Zhongke Architectural Design & Research Institute of China’s Academy of Science (ADCAS) and the Center of Scientific Studies on Cultural Heritage of Chinese Academy of Science (COSSOCH). He has carried out studies both on urban development and architectural heritage preservation of Beijing. He was also an executive architect for JGP Architecture (Singapore representative Office) in Shanghai, mainly focused on housing design. He then became an associate designer for Zeidler Partnership Architect (Canada’s representative office) in Beijing where he was involved in urban design and buildings for mixed-use developments in the most prominent cities of China. Continuing his research on Asian megacities he moved to Bangladesh, where he joined the North-South University of Dhaka as an Assistant Professor. He has taught Aesthetics, Architectural Composition, Urban and Housing Design.

In 2020, he became a full-time associate professor at AUPP teaching the Thesis Preparation course, History and Theory of Contemporary and Modern Architecture, and Planning and Urban Design Theory. Dr. Santoro is also a founder of Metaestetica which is a multidisciplinary art laboratory on participatory and digital art.

Dr. Santoro claims that creative design thinking, supported by a full understanding of technical aspects and constant dialogue with multidisciplinary teams, has proved essential to him in dealing with projects that include multiple components and complexities associated with the urban design dimension.