The search for the next dean of the University of Oregon School of Architecture and Allied Arts led to a professor of media and culture currently living in the Netherlands.

Christoph Lindner, professor of media and culture at the University of Amsterdam, will join the university as the new dean of the school Aug. 15. The announcement was made by UO Provost and Senior Vice President Scott Coltrane.

“Lindner stood out as the candidate whose background and academic work best complement the incredible diversity of A&AA’s programs,” Coltrane wrote. “With an academic focus on the relationship between cities, globalization and issues of political ecology, sustainability and creative practice, Lindner is uniquely qualified to build consensus and craft a visionary 21st-century future for A&AA.”

“UO’s School of Architecture and Allied Arts is a unique academic and creative community that combines advanced disciplinary practice with innovative interdisciplinary collaboration,” Lindner said. “A&AA is ideally positioned to be a global leader in the study of design, visual culture, and the built, natural, and social environments. I am looking forward to working with everyone at A&AA, as well as with the wider UO community, in shaping this vision.”

“Lindner has demonstrated a true understanding of disciplines within the school, with research and writing spanning architecture, urban planning, design, art, visual culture, and art history and is engaged with forging connections among history, theory and practice,” Coltrane wrote. “He has also been an innovator in graduate education and developing research centers, both of which are closely aligned with the strategic priorities of the UO.”

Currently the director of the University of Amsterdam’s Cities Project, Lindner is also the founding director of the Netherlands Institute for Cultural Analysis and a member of the Amsterdam Center for Globalization Studies. From 2010-14, he was director of the Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis, a research institute and doctoral school focused on the interdisciplinary study of contemporary society, politics and culture. 

“Lindner’s strong international experience will help us connect A&AA and its research mission to global issues, as well as a network of international partners,” Coltrane wrote.

—By Tobin J. Klinger, University Communications