Saija Hollmén, DSc(Arch), is a Professor of Practice in Humanitarian Architecture at Aalto School of Arts, Design and Architecture. She is a co-founder and leader of the interdisciplinary Aalto World in Transition Research LAB (WiTLAB), which focuses on global sustainability and humanitarian challenges through cross-disciplinary research and pedagogy. She is responsible of the Interplay of Cultures master studio, based at the Department of Architecture, dealing with architectural design and planning in cultures outside Europe. Hollmén is also leading the new transdisciplinary post-master diploma program called WiT Programme for Global Sustainability, which aims at bridging capacities to advance resilience of vulnerable communities.
Hollmén is also a co-founder of the award-winning Hollmén Reuter Sandman Architects and Ukumbi NGO, which aim at providing architectural services for communities in need. Her research, informed by her architectural practice in the Global South, focuses on cultural locality and interdisciplinary pedagogies in architectural education.