Applications are due this Friday, April 3 at 5:00 PM PDT for the 2026 Researcher-in-Residence.
Presented by the SOM Foundation and the MAK Center for Art and Architecture, this fully funded summer residency provides an architect, artist, and/or researcher dedicated space and time for innovative work that addresses pressing issues related to the built environment. This year’s topic, “Exploring the Potential of Mobility Corridors,” corresponds to the SOM Foundation’s 2025–2026 research topic.
The Researcher-in-Residence will receive a $5,000 stipend and a four-to-six-week summer residency at R.M. Schindler’s Mackey Apartments in Los Angeles.
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Visit the link in our bio to learn more and apply.
The SOM Foundation is launching the search for its next Executive Director.
In collaboration with the Board of Directors, the Executive Director will provide strategic and visionary leadership and will be responsible for advancing the mission of the SOM Foundation. The Executive Director will set priorities to advance and amplify the impact of its core awards program, operations, and long-term financial security.
For a full set of Key Responsibilities as well as Qualifications and Experience requirements, please visit our website.
To apply for this position, please submit a complete curriculum vitae and a one-page letter of interest as a single PDF.
The deadline for applications is Monday, May 4 at 5 pm CDT.
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The SOM Foundation is pleased to announce the jury for the 2026 China Fellowship.
Tang Shuoning is Chairman and Chief Architect of the Tongji Architectural Design & Research Institute (Group) Co., Ltd., Professor at Tongji University, and a Shanghai Engineering Survey and Design Master. He also serves as President of the Urban Renewal Branch of the China Association of Survey and Design, and Vice President of the Shanghai Association of Survey and Design and the Hebei Xiong’an New Area Association of Survey and Design. He has led and completed more than 120 projects, including the Beijing Olympic Games Table Tennis Venue, the Xiong’an New Area Headquarters of China Satellite Network Group, the Xi’an International Convention Center, and the Shanghai Velodrome. His works have received more than seventy domestic and international awards. He has published eleven monographs and over ninety academic papers, and has been honored with titles such as the Shanghai May 1st Labor Medal, Shanghai Master Craftsman, and Outstanding Builder of Olympic Projects.
#somfoundation #chinafellowship #jury #tangshuoning
The SOM Foundation is pleased to announce the jury for the 2026 China Fellowship.
Sun Yimin is Professor and Academic Leader in the School of Architecture at South China University of Technology and the Academic Dean of the School of Architecture and Urban Planning at Huazhong University of Science and Technology. He is a National Master of Engineering Design and Geotechnique Investigation, Chang Jiang Scholar, National Famous Teacher of Higher Education, Vice President of the Urban Planning Society of China, and Executive Director of the Architectural Society of China. Sun Yimin has long been engaged in the research and practice of urban mega-projects represented by sports venues, public architecture, and key urban districts.
#somfoundation #chinafellowship #jury #sunyimin
The SOM Foundation is pleased to announce the jury for the 2026 China Fellowship.
Inho Rhee (Chair) is a Design Principal at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) and based in Shanghai. Rhee leads interdisciplinary teams through a robust design process. He is particularly adept at developing the conceptual design for projects, strategically refining a design that is finely tuned to its users and context, and carrying the intent through to the final built form. Rhee specializes in large-scale mixed-use office, residential, civic, and public spaces. He has significant experience leading projects in various cities in the US, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Since joining SOM in 2004, Rhee has provided design leadership to notable projects at a wide range of scales, from the award-winning Chinatown Branch of the Chicago Public Library to Tianjin CTF Finance Centre, the seventh-tallest building in the world.
#somfoundation #chinafellowship #jury #inhorhee
The SOM Foundation is pleased to announce the jury for the 2026 China Fellowship.
Michel Hsiung is General Manager of the Product Innovation and Design Management Department at Shui On Land (SOL), where he has led design management for large-scale mixed-use developments for over a decade. His project portfolio includes CPIC Xintiandi Commercial Center in Shanghai, Hong Shou Fang, Lakeville VI Residence, Wuhan Optics Valley B89 Mixed-Use, and Chongqing Super High Rise, among others. Prior to joining SOL, Hsiung worked in New York for ten years with Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), TEN Arquitectos, and Blesso Properties, contributing to complex urban, commercial, and residential projects. He is a registered architect in New York State and holds a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Pennsylvania. With a cross-cultural background spanning international design and development, Hsiung brings a rigorous and holistic perspective to evaluating design quality, innovation, and execution.
#somfoundation #chinafellowship #jury #michelhsiung
The SOM Foundation is pleased to announce the jury for the 2026 China Fellowship.
Chen Chen is a Shenzhen-based architect, landscape urbanist, and founding partner of reMIX Studio, a multidisciplinary practice integrating landscape, architecture, and urban design. Together with partners Federico Ruberto, Nicola Saladino, and Lyu Shoutuo, she develops holistic design approaches that bridge disciplines. She holds degrees from Tsinghua University and the Architectural Association (AA) in London, and a Master of Landscape Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD). Her work focuses on integrating architecture and landscape to address high-density urban conditions through an ecological perspective. Chen was recognized by Gooood as part of its “Under 35” generation and has received awards from the ASLA and IFLA. Beyond reMIX, she has taught design studios at institutions worldwide, including the University of Pennsylvania, Tsinghua University, the University of Hong Kong, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Founded in 2012, reMIX Studio’s notable projects include Shenzhen Futian High School, Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology, the HKUST Red Bird Maker Space, and several hutong regeneration initiatives. The studio has received numerous accolades, such as the ArchDaily Building of the Year award, the Iconic Award, the International Urban Project Award (IUPA), and the Wallpaper* Design Award.
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The SOM Foundation is pleased to announce the opening of the SOM Foundation Archive.
Established in 2026, the SOM Foundation Archive is a collection and research initiative located within the SOM Chicago office. The SOM Foundation Archive makes the records of the Foundation accessible to researchers interested in the work supported by the SOM Foundation since its founding in 1979.
Organized chronologically and spanning almost five decades, the archive’s core materials relate to work of SOM Foundation fellows, including correspondence, final reports, and publications. The archive also includes information about particular moments of the SOM Foundation, including the Charnley House and the Chicago Institute for Architecture and Urbanism under the leadership of John Whiteman and Janet Abrams, as well as a series of publication produced during that time and distributed by MIT Press.
An ongoing effort, the physical archive complements and expands the information presented digitally through the SOM Foundation website.
“Over the last few years, the SOM Foundation has made an effort to make all the work supported since 1979 available to the public, whether digitally through its website or through public programming,” said @ikergil , Executive Director of the SOM Foundation. “While still in its initial phase, the physical archive is a great step to continue this effort and make it available to researchers, scholars, and students.”
Photos by Dave Burk.
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A reminder that applications to the 2026 Structural Engineering Fellowship are due this Friday, March 13.
The $20,000 fellowship will be awarded to a student currently enrolled in a master’s or PhD program or in the final year of their bachelor’s program based in the United States who specializes in structural engineering to conduct independent travel and research that contributes to this year’s topic, “Exploring the Potential of Mobility Corridors.” The Structural Engineering Fellowship was created in 1998 to support research that has the potential to influence the practice and teaching of how structures can positively impact our built environment.
Images from the 2016 Structural Engineering Traveling Fellowship recipient Nathan Brown, who traveled extensively to locations in Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America to carry out his research.
#somfoundation #structuralengineeringfellowship #nathanbrown
The SOM Foundation is pleased to announce the opening of the 2026 China Fellowship. The $15,000 China Fellowship is awarded annually to one student in the last two years of either an undergraduate or graduate program in architecture, landscape architecture, interior architecture, or urban design in the People’s Republic of China to conduct independent travel and research that contributes to the SOM Foundation’s current topic, “Exploring the Potential of Mobility Corridors.” The China Fellowship was created in 2006 to support emerging design leaders to broaden their education and contribute to their future professional and academic careers.
Deadline: April 24, 2026.
Image: @span_studio .
#somfoundation #chinafellowship
The SOM Foundation and the MAK Center for Art and Architecture are now accepting applications for the 2026 Researcher-in-Residence.
A fully funded summer residency program based in Los Angeles, the Researcher-in-Residence program provides an architect, artist, and/or researcher dedicated space and time for innovative work that addresses pressing issues related to the built environment. This year’s topic is “Exploring the Potential of Mobility Corridors,” which corresponds to the SOM Foundation’s 2025–2026 research topic.
The Researcher-in-Residence will receive a $5,000 stipend and a four-to-six-week summer residency at R.M. Schindler’s Mackey Apartments in Los Angeles.
Deadline: April 3.
Image: Mackey Apartments, 1939. Courtesy of the MAK Center for Art and Architecture, Los Angeles. Photography by Tag Christof, 2021.
#somfoundation #makcenterforartandarchitecture #researcherinresidence #losangeles @makcenter
