In Memory of William Mitchell
William J. Mitchell, head of the Media Lab’s Smart Cities research group and former dean of MIT’s School of Architecture and Planning, died on June 11, 2010 after a long battle with cancer.
Bill was an inspirational thinker and prolific writer who touched the lives of many while challenging conventional concepts about sustainable cities, urban transportation, and design. During his 18 years at MIT, he left a lasting impact, not only on the MIT campus, but throughout the world.
Professor of Architecture and Media Arts and Sciences at MIT, holds the Alexander W. Dreyfoos, Jr. (1954) Professorship and directs the Media Lab's Smart Cities research group as well as the MIT Design Lab, a multidisciplinary laboratory within the School of Architecture and Planning. He was formerly Dean of the School of Architecture and Planning and Head of the Program in Media Arts and Sciences, both at MIT.
Recent Book: Reiventing the Automobile
Visit Bill's Media Lab Memorial Page
Before coming to MIT, he was the G. Ware and Edythe M. Travelstead Professor of Architecture and Director of the Master in Design Studies Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. He is a Fellow of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a recipient of honorary doctorates from the University of Melbourne and the New Jersey Institute of Technology. In 1997 he was awarded the annual Appreciation Prize of the Architectural Institute of Japan for his "achievements in the development of architectural design theory in the information age as well as worldwide promotion of CAD education."
He previously served as Head of the Architecture/Urban Design Program at UCLA's Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Planning, and he has also taught at Yale, Carnegie-Mellon, and Cambridge Universities. In spring 1999 he was at the University of Virginia as Thomas Jefferson Professor. He holds a BArch from the University of Melbourne, MED from Yale University, and MA from Cambridge.