While completing his Bachelor of Design in Architecture at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Stefan explored how sociopolitical, technological, and cultural forces shape the built environment, with an emphasis on equity and long-term urban resilience. He later undertook postgraduate studies in International Relations at the University of Melbourne and a Graduate Diploma of Art in Public Space at RMIT, before returning to UTS to teach architectural history, theory, and urban design. After studying abroad at the Technische Universität Berlin, Stefan lived in Berlin for several years, working across architecture, public art, and cultural programming. He has also lived and worked in Melbourne and Madrid, where he taught at a bilingual high school before heading back to Sydney. Stefan currently works in built environment consulting while completing a Master of City Planning at UNSW, including an intensive design studio in Tokyo in collaboration with Waseda University. Alongside his design work, he has been active in community health and LGBTIQ+ advocacy, serving on the board of an HIV rights organization in Melbourne, co-founding a civil rights initiative in the Western Balkans, and volunteering with Sydney Open. In his spare time, Stefan enjoys bike riding, indoor bouldering, anything to do with music, nature hikes and camping, cook-ups with friends, exploring new places and immersing himself in local arts and culture, and learning something new every day. He is fluent in Serbo-Croatian and German (and gets by with conversational Spanish). This will be his fourth year leading with Putney!