College of California Berkeley introduced right now it has appointed Nicholas de Monchaux because the William W. Wurster Dean of the Faculty of Environmental Design (CED). De Monchaux—an architect, urbanist, and scholar—was beforehand a professor of structure and concrete design at UC Berkeley from 2006 to 2019. Since 2020 he has served as head of MIT’s Division of Structure. His CED appointment follows information from MIT that Ana Miljački has been appointed as the subsequent head of the MIT Division of Structure.
At Berkeley, de Monchaux will assume the place that outgoing dean Renee Y. Chow held for 5 years. In February 2025, the school shared information of Chow’s resolution to step down from the position. Chow has additionally determined to retire from the school’s school, which she has served on for over 30 years in instructing and management roles. She additionally works within the fields of structure and concrete design as co-principal of Studio Urbis.
Whereas a professor of structure and concrete design at UC Berkeley’s Faculty of Environmental Design, de Monchaux was the director of the Berkeley Middle for New Media (BCNM) and was named Craigslist Distinguished Chair in New Media.
“CED powerfully formed each method wherein I take into consideration design and its duty on this planet,” de Monchaux mentioned in an announcement. “I’m thrilled to return to the school and help its mission at a time when it has by no means been extra related. From the position of constructing in driving our local weather disaster, by the position of development, coverage and planning in stewarding resilient landscapes and establishments, to the pressing job of guaranteeing entry to cities, housing, and training internationally, CED addresses the good challenges of our time. I can’t wait to help the school because it reinvents and strengthens its influence.”
De Monchaux was educated in structure at Yale and Princeton. His curiosity within the subject is far-reaching, extending past buildings to embody the constructed setting’s relationship with know-how, urbanism, digital simulation, world-building, and sci-fi. His previous analysis, together with revealed books, has targeted on the origin of the Apollo spacesuit and explored the particular results utilized in Star Wars.
Past instructing and analysis, he’s a associate on the interdisciplinary observe modem. He beforehand labored as a designer at Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Michael Hopkins & Companions in London.
Chow’s tenure as dean ends on June 30, 2026. De Monchaux will begin on July 1, 2027; within the interim, professor Daniel G. Chatman, chair of the Division of Metropolis & Regional Planning, will function dean starting July 1, 2026.
