Music and the Brain 2022 
Sound, Space, and the Aesthetics of the Sublime 

Professor Julio Bermudez has directed the Sacred Space and Cultural Studies graduate concentration at The Catholic University of America School of Architecture and Planning since 2010.  Dr. Bermudez’s interests focus on the relationship between architecture, culture, and spirituality through the lens of phenomenology and neuroscience. He has widely lectured, led symposia, taught, and published in these areas. Current projects include two neuro-phenomenological studies of sacred vs. secular architecture (funded by the Templeton Religion Trust) and the forthcoming book “Spirituality in Architectural Education.” He has published two other books: "Transcending Architecture. Contemporary Views on Sacred Space” (CUA Press, February 2015) and "Architecture, Culture, and Spirituality" (Routledge, UK, November 2015, co-edited with Thomas Barrie and Phillip Tabb). Bermudez has received several national and international recognitions, including the 1998 AIA Education Honors Award, the 2004-05 ACSA Creative Achievement Award, the 2005 Arturo Montagu Creative Career Prize (bestowed by Latin American SiGraDi), the 2006 ACADIA Award for Teaching Excellence, the 2010 Sasada Award for significant record in scholarship and service (conferred by CAADRIA, Asia), and the 2021 ACSA Distinguished Professor Award. In 2007, Bermudez co-founded the Architecture, Culture and Spirituality Forum, a 680-member (of 64 countries) organization, and has served as its president since 2015.