The MIT School of Architecture and Planning announced promotions for 11 faculty members effective July 1, 2026, covering the Department of Architecture, the Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP), and the Media Arts and Sciences program.
In the Department of Architecture, Xavi Aguirre was promoted to associate professor without tenure. He directs DIS‑ASSEMBLIES LAB, focusing on learning and designing when architectures fall apart, examining material and commodity circulations both technically and culturally, with commissions from the Carnegie Museum of Art and others.
Rosalyne Shieh also became an associate professor without tenure. Her practice operates at the intersection of material culture, oral history, and post‑colonial identity, treating architecture as a process of thinking‑with‑site; she co‑authored Blanking: An Annotated Archive of Projects and Thoughts on Architecture.
Nida Sinnokrot was promoted to associate professor with tenure. His interdisciplinary art spans film, photography, sculpture, and agriculture, exposing power and bias embedded in dominant narratives through tactical material interventions.
Kristel Smentek advanced to full professor, specializing in 18th‑century European art history, especially graphic and decorative arts in transcultural contexts and Europe‑Asia exchanges. She recently co‑curated and co‑edited Dare to Know: Prints and Drawings in the Age of Enlightenment.
In DUSP, Jason Jackson was promoted to associate professor with tenure and now leads the Political Economy Lab. His research investigates state‑market relations, economic nationalism, platform economies, and urban mobility across Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
Justin Steil became a full professor, holding joint appointments in law and urban planning, chairing the MIT Center for Real Estate faculty committee, and studying spatial inequality, environmental justice, and health equity.
Sarah Williams also attained full professorship as the Norman B. Leventhal Professor. She directs the Civic Data Design Lab and the Norman B. Leventhal Center for Advanced Urbanism, co‑founded Envelope.city, and promotes “Data Action” for civic change.
In Media Arts and Sciences, Fadel Adib was promoted to full professor. He founded the Signal Kinetics group, merging wireless sensing with generative AI; his spin‑off Cartesian Systems is deployed in over 700 stores across 55 countries.
Canan Dağdeviren became an associate professor with tenure, leading the Conformable Decoders group to create wearable ultrasound breast patches and implantable brain‑stimulating devices, and heads the MIT Media Lab WHx Women’s Health program.
Kevin Esvelt advanced to associate professor with tenure, heading the Sculpting Evolution group. His community‑driven “Mice Against Ticks” project engineers Lyme‑immune mice, and his work on CRISPR gene drives and biosecurity has shaped national policy debates.
Danielle Wood was promoted to associate professor with tenure, founding the Space Enabled group. She demonstrates how satellite technology can advance justice on Earth through the EVDT framework, earning the 2026 Paul Gray Faculty Award for Public Service.
Review: The promotions showcase MIT’s breadth—from traditional art‑historical scholarship to AI‑enhanced sensing and bio‑engineering—highlighting a vibrant, interdisciplinary ecosystem that pushes the boundaries of architecture, urban planning, and emerging technologies.