Thomas-Bernard Kenniff graduated from the University of Waterloo, where he studied mathematics and architecture (M.Arch 2006). He then worked in Canada and Spain for numerous firms, including Philip Beesley Architect (Toronto), Coll Leclerc Arquitectos (Barcelona), Arquitectonica (Madrid), Schème, and MSDL (Montreal). In 2009, he began a Ph.D. in the history and theory of architecture at the UCL Bartlett School of Architecture in London. His dissertation on dialogue, ambivalence, and the design of public space, defended in 2013, was nominated by UCL for a research award from the Royal Institute of British Architects.
His research focuses on the formalization of social arrangements and their spaces, the theory and design of urban public spaces, and related issues of identity. He is also interested in design processes, particularly inter- and transdisciplinary methods, collaborative practices, the process of subjectivation, and the application of the concepts of dialogue, ambivalence, and indeterminacy to design project processes and pedagogy. Some of his recent work focuses on dialogue and responsibility (with Ben Sweeting, *Opticon 1826*, 2014), dialogic space and the interstices of the Quartier des spectacles (Presses de l’U Laval, 2015), and uncertainty as a pedagogical approach to design projects (Arquitectonics conference, 2016). His research since his master’s degree has been funded by SSHRC, the FRQSC, and the Canada Council for the Arts. In 2015, he received a postdoctoral research fellowship from the FRQSC in research-creation.
Before joining the UQAM School of Design—first as a visiting professor in 2015 and then as a tenured professor in 2016—Thomas-Bernard taught at the schools of architecture at UCL, Carleton University, Laval University, and the University of Montreal.