Julio Bermudez is president of the Architecture, Culture and Spirituality Forum, an 850+ members (from 65 countries) organization, that he cofounded in 2007. He holds a Master of Architecture and a Ph.D. in Educaiton from the University of Minnesota.

Dr. Bermudez’s interests focus in the relationship between architecture, culture, and spirituality through the lens of phenomenology and neuroscience. He has widely lectured, led symposia, taught, published, or appeared in the media covering these areas, including a beautiful episode in National Geographic’s The Story of God with Morgan Freeman in 2019. Current projects include three neuro-phenomenological studies of sacred vs. secular architecture (supported by $1.5 M in grants from the Templeton Religion Trust). He has published three books: "Transcending Architecture. Contemporary Views on Sacred Space” (CUA Press, 2015), "Architecture, Culture, and Spirituality" (Ashgate, 2015, co-edited with Thomas Barrie and Phillip Tabb), and “Spirituality in Architectural Education” (CUA Press, 2023).

Bermudez has been teaching architectural design, communication, and theory for 40 years. He directed the Sacred Space and Cultural Studies graduate concentration at The Catholic University of America School of Architecture and Planning from 2010 to 2023, where he developed the Walton Studio, a world-class design studio that involved recognized architects from around the globe. Before this work and at the University of Utah (1993-2010), Bermudez investigated (1) the interaction between design process and computers, and (2) the use of architectural thinking to design data environments. Results of this effort were the award-winning and influential analog-digital design method, a successful information visualization study across multiple domains (attracting over $5M in funding), and a large number of lectures, workshops, patents, and publications in the U.S. and abroad. During this time, he co-created and co-led SiGraDi (Iberoamerican Society of Digital Graphics, 1997-2005) and an academic exchange program between universities in Santa Fe-Argentina and Salt Lake City-Utah (1995-2010).

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.