Image credit: The Cooper Union/By Market Long
The Cooper Union has appointed Michael Young as the next dean of the Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture. The appointment, taking effect April 1st, 2026, follows a search by the institution, which was previously featured as part of our Job Highlights series.
Young currently serves as an associate professor and coordinator of graduate studies at the architecture school. Young is also the founding partner of Young & Ayata whose accolades include the Progressive Architecture Award, Design Vanguard Award, AIANY Honor Award, and, most recently, the Architecture Award from the American Academy of Arts & Letters.
Young has also authored several books, including The Estranged Object (Graham Foundation, 2015) and Reality Modeled After Images (Routledge, 2022), and has taught at several institutions, including Yale University and UC Berkeley. Young was the recipient of the Rome Prize from the American Academy in Rome for 2019–2020.
“Michael Young represents the best of us,” said Benjamin Aranda, acting dean of The Cooper Union’s Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture. “He is a dedicated teacher, inspiring architect, and distinguished academic, whose new role as dean formalizes the longstanding leadership he commands here among both students and faculty. I have the highest ambitions for our future together and can think of no one better to steward this precious institution forward.”
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