Professor John Ochsendorf, a member of the MIT faculty since 2002, is taking on a new role in support of the research efforts of faculty and students in the MIT School of Architecture and Planning (SA+P). At the start of this year, Ochsendorf was appointed to lead an initiative strengthening research strategy, support, and funding across the school.
“John is a bridge-builder by instinct and practice, and we look forward to the bridges he will build between our school and industry, our school and MIT, and between research and pedagogy in our school,” says SA+P Dean Hashim Sarkis. The appointment comes as sponsored research across SA+P continues to grow, expanding opportunities for graduate research assistantships and interdisciplinary collaboration across MIT.
Ochsendorf is the Class of 1942 Professor with dual appointments in the departments of Architecture and Civil and Environmental Engineering in the MIT School of Engineering. At the center of his work is a deep commitment to students and education through research and making. For example, in close collaboration with students and alumni, he has contributed to projects ranging from the Sean Collier Memorial on campus to a recent Martin Puryear sculpture at Storm King Art Center. Since 2022, Ochsendorf has served as the founding director of the MIT Morningside Academy for Design, where he helped establish new models for design research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and student engagement across the Institute.
Ochsendorf describes the new role as both a “challenge and an opportunity” to support the considerable and increasingly broad portfolio of research across SA+P.
“We want to understand the current landscape of our research funding and identify the challenges and inefficiencies impacting faculty,” he notes. “The ultimate goal is to grow our research capacity for a world that needs the best ideas from MIT.”
The effort is consistent with SA+P’s history of pioneering research and pedagogic exploration. The Department of Architecture was among the first in the United States to establish doctoral programs within a school of architecture, including PhDs in history, theory, and criticism and in building technology. The Department of Urban Studies and Planning is home to the largest urban planning faculty in the country and maintains a variety of research labs, while Media Arts and Sciences and the Media Lab has a broad and deep research culture. Each of the school’s departments enjoys the advantage of operating within the context of MIT’s culture of innovation and interdisciplinary study. As new faculty hires have been increasingly research-driven, the time for developing and supporting robust research portfolios is now.
Ochsendorf and his students’ research have bridged the spectrum from humanistic research supported by organizations such as the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts to more scientific research supported by the National Science Foundation. In his new role, he will build on that experience to work with faculty and Institute partners to strengthen grant development, clarify research priorities, and expand research capacity across SA+P.
“I’ve always loved being at MIT because of the team spirit here,” says Ochsendorf. “We’re a place where we try to support each other, and it’s because of this environment that I am excited about this new role.”
