Cassius Palacio uses architectural thinking to shape emerging technology before it scales. He is a design technologist completing his Bachelor of Architecture at the University of Southern California and will be attending the University of California, Berkeley Master of Design program to deepen his work at the intersection of human-centered design and emerging technology. He is particularly interested in opportunities where he can apply spatial intelligence, behavioral insight, and systems-level thinking to early-stage innovation.

While initially drawn to architecture for its visual and spatial discipline, Cassius developed a strong interest in how the rigor and iterative nature of architectural thinking can shape emerging technologies at their earliest stages. His work centers on conceptual prototyping and speculative design research, operating in the space between research and venture, where early-stage concepts are clarified, positioned, and strategically refined before moving toward engineering or market.

Through design research roles at Gensler and Corgan, he has contributed to multidisciplinary innovation initiatives that bridge strategy and implementation for high-profile clients. As a co-founder of Architecture + Advocacy, a social impact startup that has reinvested over $50,000 into South Los Angeles communities through design education, he has strengthened his civic strategy and relationship-building practice while reinforcing his belief that upstream design decisions have downstream social impact.

Cassius is drawn to organizations where research, strategic insight, and multidisciplinary design inform early-stage technology and product development. His goal is to operate as a design strategist, integrating spatial intelligence, behavioral insight, and systems thinking into emerging innovation.