Dear Campus Community,
After a national search, we are pleased to announce that Nicholas de Monchaux will be returning to UC Berkeley as the next dean of our College of Environmental Design (CED). His appointment begins July 1, 2027.
As dean, de Monchaux will further CED’s position as a global leader in addressing today’s environmental and social challenges. His vision centers on empowering the college's faculty, staff, and students to confront the defining challenge for our built environment: the climate crisis and its entanglement with housing, shelter, and equal access to the promise of cities and landscapes. He envisions a path forward through social and creative entrepreneurship, technical innovation, and the role of design as a collaborative act, drawing on new and old ways of conceiving the world.
Previously, de Monchaux was a professor of Architecture and Urban Design here at Berkeley, where he also served as director of the Berkeley Center for New Media. A collaborative leader and accomplished fundraiser, de Monchaux has built strong institutional partnerships and championed support for faculty, students, and research throughout his career. Back at Berkeley, he will work closely with the CED community to evolve the college’s curriculum for a changing economy and strengthen its financial foundation.
De Monchaux comes to Berkeley from MIT, where he is currently Weber-Shaughness Professor and Head of Architecture, professor of Urban Studies and Planning, and affiliated faculty with the Program in Science, Technology, and Society. As a leader at MIT, he expanded student support and institutional collaborations, and introduced an innovative set of climate studios, combining research and studio education on critical issues in building and sustainability. He is an External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute and a partner in the architecture practice modem.
As an internationally recognized architect, urbanist, and scholar, de Monchaux has built a distinguished career. His 2011 book Spacesuit: Fashioning Apollo won the Eugene Emme Award from the American Astronautical Society and was shortlisted for the Art Book Prize. In 2012, he was named one of the “Public Interest Design 100” by Good Magazine and his work has been exhibited at venues including the Venice Architecture Biennale, the Lisbon Architecture Triennial, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.
He holds a B.A. from Yale College and an M.Arch from Princeton University. Early in his career, he worked for the architectural practices Michael Hopkins & Partners in London and Diller, Scofidio + Renfro in New York. His broad experience, interdisciplinary vision, and commitment to advancing design education will help elevate CED’s global influence and public impact across the Bay Area and beyond.
We extend sincere appreciation to the search advisory committee for all of their efforts throughout this process. We also appreciate the unwavering support of Dean Renee Y. Chow across her tenure at CED and incoming interim Dean Daniel G. Chatman for his willingness to step into this role for the 2026 – 2027 academic year.
Sincerely,
Richard K. Lyons
Chancellor
Benjamin E. Hermalin
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost
