Güvenç Özel is an architect, artist, and researcher. He is the technology director of IDEAS, a multidisciplinary research and development platform in UCLA Department of Architecture and Urban Design, and the principal of Ozel Office, an interdisciplinary design practice located in Los Angeles working at the intersection of architecture, visual arts, technology, and research on urban culture. Özel studied architecture, sculpture, and philosophy at Bennington College and went on to receive an M.Arch at Yale University.

Prior to establishing his own practice, he worked in the offices of Rafael Vinoly, Jürgen Mayer H., and Frank Gehry, among others. His projects have been exhibited in museums and galleries in the United States and Europe, including the Istanbul Museum of Modern Art and the Saatchi Gallery in London. He has taught at Yale University, Woodbury University, and University of Applied Arts in Vienna. His recent work has been published in online and print media including CNN, Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, The Huffington Post, Architectural Digest, Wired, Gizmodo, BoingBoing, Creators Project/Vice, Archdaily, Archinect, Dwell, and Designboom, among others.

At UCLA IDEAS, in addition to determining the overall pedagogical objectives for technological experimentation, Özel pursues research on robotics and sensing devices meant to create reactive environments that challenge contemporary fabrication techniques and spatial assemblies.