Karsten Schlesier vertritt die Professur Tragwerksentwurf im Studienprogramm Architektur an der Hafencity Universität Hamburg (HCU). Er studierte Bauingenieurwesen an der Technischen Universität München (TUM) und an der Universität Karlsruhe (KIT). Als Tragwerksplaner beschäftigte er sich in verschiedenen Ingenieurbüros vorrangig mit der Planung und Ausführung leichter Flächentragwerke, Fassaden- und Glaskonstruktionen. Er arbeitete als Gastprofessor am Department of Civil Engineering der Addis Abeba Universität (AAU), co-leitete den Lehrstuhl für Tragwerksplanung am damals neu gegründeten Ethiopian Institute of Architecture, Building Construction and City Development (EiABC) und war Associate Professor of Structural Design and Building Construction am Department of Urban Planning and Architectural Design an der German University of Technology in Oman (GUtech). Er war Consultant am Future Cities Laboratory der ETH Zürich in Singapur (FCL) sowie wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter am Fachgebiet Nachhaltiges Bauen (Prof. Dirk E. Hebel) des Karlsruher Instituts für Technologie (KIT). Unter seiner Beteiligung entstanden verschiedene universitäre Design-Build Projekte. Die kreislaufgerechte Struktur des Mehr.WERT.Pavillons auf der Bundesgartenschau 2019 in Heilbronn, die unter seiner Mitwirkung entstand, erhielt 2021 einen internationalen Green Solutions Award und 2022 eine Auszeichnung des Deutschen Stahlbaues.

Karsten Schlesier is a professor for structural design in the architecture programme at the Hafencity University Hamburg (HCU) . He studied civil engineering at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the University of Karlsruhe (KIT). As a structural engineer, he worked in various engineering firms, primarily on the planning and execution of light-weight load-bearing structures. He taught as a visiting professor at the Department of Civil Engineering at Addis Ababa University (AAU), co-headed the Chair of Structural Design at the then newly founded Ethiopian Institute of Architecture, Building Construction and City Development (EiABC) and was Associate Professor of Structural Design and Building Construction at the Department of Urban Planning and Architectural Design at the German University of Technology in Oman (GUtech). He was a consultant at the Future Cities Laboratory of the ETH Zurich in Singapore (FCL) and a research associate at the Department of Sustainable Construction of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Various university design-build projects were developed with his participation. The circular structure of the Mehr.WERT.Pavilion at the German National Garden Show 2019 in Heilbronn, which was created with his involvement, received an international Green Solutions Award in 2021 and an award from the German Steel Construction Association in 2022.