Steve Palumbo to Grow SmithGroup’s Science & Technology Expertise in Boston Region

Move supports strategy to expand firm’s expertise, reach in Boston’s research & development market

SmithGroup hired Stephen Palumbo, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, to lead the growth of the Science & Technology Practice in the robust Boston region. He will be responsible for expanding the Practice’s project portfolio and strengthening the company’s position as a leading design firm of cutting-edge research environments in New England.

Palumbo possesses more than 15 years of experience in the planning, design and construction of large, complex projects and was previously employed by Tsoi/Kobus & Associates, Boston, as the director of science & technology. His career includes work for many research and development organizations, including The Jackson Laboratory, Pfizer, Biomed Realty, Eli Lilly, DivcoWest, and University of Massachusetts, among others.

“Steve understands the drivers impacting research in the New England market and has a clear grasp of the challenges that our clients face on a daily basis,” said Ed Burton, director of SmithGroup’s Science & Technology Practice. “He knows what it takes to develop solutions that respond to the needs of scientists whilst simultaneously supporting the enterprises’ business objectives.”

Adding Palumbo to SmithGroup’s science & technology leadership team supports the firm’s strategic plan to expand its presence on the East Coast. The firm’s national Science & Technology Practice ranks seventh in the nation, according to Building Design + Construction and has been recognized by R&D Magazine’s Laboratory of the Year program eight times—twice in the past three years. This award-winning portfolio includes the 230,000-square-foot Electrical and Computer Engineering Building at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus and the $135 million Energy Systems Integration Facility for the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado.  

Palumbo’s expertise also helps SmithGroup further envision its LAB2050 initiative, which is a research endeavor to dig deep into scientific trends, technologies and economics that will shape design concepts of laboratory environments in the coming decades.

Palumbo earned a Master of Architecture from Boston Architectural College, and received a Bachelor of Arts from University of Rochester. A registered architect in Massachusetts, he is a member of the Boston chapter of the American Institute of Architects and NAIOP.

Palumbo is a resident of Wilmington, MA.

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