www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/3393-princetons-school-of-architecture-names-monica-ponce-de-leon-dean

Princeton's School of Architecture Names Monica Ponce de Leon Dean

Anna Fixsen
May 27, 2015

After months of rumors, Princeton University today named Monica Ponce de Leon dean of its School of Architecture.

Ponce de Leon replaces Alejandro Zaera-Polo, who resigned in October 2014 over a dispute with the university regarding questions of plagiarism.

"I am deeply honored by the trust that Princeton is placing upon me and I look forward to working with students and faculty in writing the next chapter in the history of the school," said Ponce de Leon in a press release.

Prior to the announcement, Ponce de Leon served as dean at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor's Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning for the last seven years. Before, she was a professor at Harvard's Graduate School of Design. Her appointment as dean at Princeton is effective January 1, 2016.

After co-founding the firm Office dA in 1991, Ponce de Leon went on to form her own practice in 2011, MPdL Studio. The architect is a pioneer in applying robotics to building fabrication and holds an M. Arch. from Harvard's GSD and a B. Arch. from the University of Miami.

 

Anna Fixsen was a staff writer and editor for Architectural Record from 2013 to 2017, during which time she covered topics ranging from new projects to human rights, and edited Firms to Watch—a special section devoted to emerging architecture firms.