The University of Kentucky College of Design announces the appointment of Jeffrey Johnson, the new Director of the School of Architecture. Johnson joins the faculty from the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University where he was the founding director of the Asia Megacities Lab.

“I am thrilled to be joining the amazing team at the UK College of Design and look forward to working directly with the students and faculty of the School of Architecture at such an exciting time,” said Johnson. “We have a great opportunity to build on the School’s esteemed reputation as we continue its course as a leader in architectural education.”

Johnson, a registered architect and a member of the AIA, was chosen from nearly 50 highly accomplished international candidates for the position. “What impressed our committee is that he’s successfully oscillated between academia and professional practice throughout his career,” said Anne Filson, chairman of the search committee. “That combined with his record of intellectual leadership made him an exceptional candidate within a very competitive field.”

Most recently, Johnson has been critically examining the historically unprecedented museumification of China during the current museum building boom. He has lectured extensively and has taken part in numerous international events, symposia, forums and workshops on the topic of architecture, cities and urbanization. In addition to teaching at Columbia University, he has also taught at the Illinois Institute of Technology and at Tongji University in Shanghai.

“In addition to his balance of practice and academia, Professor Johnson is a promising leader in the School and College because of his experimentation at a range of scales from interiors to urban design,” said Dean Mitzi Vernon. “We are excited to have his voice at the table as we grow the College of Design.”

Johnson, who received his Master of Architecture in 1992 and his Bachelor of Architecture in 1990 from Ball State University, begins as Director of the School on July 1.

Article by: University of Kentucky College of Design School of Interior Design