Brent Ryan to step down as Vice Provost for Campus Space Management and Planning
Ryan will return to the Institute following a sabbatical
On Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, Provost Anantha P. Chandrakasan announced that Professor Brent Ryan PhD ’02 will step down as Vice Provost for Campus Space Management and Planning, effective Dec. 31, 2025. Ryan is expected to return to MIT following a sabbatical.
Ryan joined the Institute as a graduate student in 1997. In 2009, he became a faculty member in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP), where he is a professor of Urban Design and Public Policy. Before joining MIT, Ryan taught at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he was also a co-director of the City Design Center.
Ryan’s research focuses on the aesthetics and policies of contemporary urban design. He is interested in the effects of deindustrialization and climate change, having conducted research in China, India, Ukraine, Japan and the U.S. His publications include two books, Design After Decline: How America Rebuilds Shrinking Cities and The Largest Art, as well as many book chapters and articles. In addition, Ryan is a co-editor of the Journal of Planning History.
In Nov. 2022, Ryan assumed the role of Vice Provost (formerly known as Associate Provost). Ryan worked to adapt MIT’s physical spaces in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, helping reduce the Institute’s footprint in off-campus leased space. Ryan also contributed to DUSP’s move into the Metropolitan Warehouse building, which is set to open in 2026.
As a co-chair of the Committee for Renovation and Space Planning (CRSP), Ryan was tasked with improving the efficiency and cost of on-campus renovation projects. To achieve this, he oversaw the development of a cost-share model for these projects. Ryan also co-chaired the Open Space Working Group, which was formed in late 2023 to review community-driven proposals for the use of open space.
Ryan has been praised by his students for his commitment to their personal and academic success. He was an honoree of the Committed to Caring (C2C) program, which celebrates faculty members who have been exceptional mentors to graduate students.
In a statement, Provost Anantha P. Chandrakasan said that he is “grateful to Brent for everything he has done to make the MIT campus a vibrant, productive place for all of us.”
The Provost highlighted Ryan’s efforts to “identify future priorities,” oversee the renovation of undergraduate residences, increase decarbonization efforts, and foster collaboration between teams.
In a statement to The Tech, Head of the Department of Urban Studies and Planning Professor Christopher Zegras thanked Ryan “for his service to the Institute,” adding that the department “look[s] forward to him returning to his full-time role in DUSP.”
Executive Vice Provost Paula Hammond will assume oversight of campus space planning and management. She will work alongside Vice President for Campus Services and Stewardship Joe Higgins, as well as Campus and Space Administrator Greg Raposa.