Kathrina Simonen (Kate) is a Professor in the Department of Architecture (effective September 2020) and licensed as an architect and structural engineer. She joined the faculty at the University of Washington with over 15 years of professional practice experience bringing expertise in high performance building systems, seismic design and retrofitting, net-zero energy residential construction, prefabrication and collaborative practice.

Her research is focused on environmental life cycle assessment (LCA), integrated practice and innovative construction materials and methods. She is founding director of the Carbon Leadership Forum, an industry-academic collaborative research effort focused on linking LCA to design and construction practice to advance low carbon construction. She authored a handbook on LCA for building industry professionals,Life Cycle Assessment, which was published in 2014.