Jae Chang named Associate Dean for Research, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas School of Architecture & Design (ArcD) has appointed Jae Chang as Associate Dean for Research, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship. In his nearly two decades at KU, Chang has been instrumental in developing new connections between education, industry, and communities. 

An accomplished researcher, educator, and advocate for socially responsible and ecologically sustainable design, Chang has created and supported opportunities for education, practice, and communities to engage. In this new role, he will lead School-wide initiatives and provide support to new and existing research projects, industry partnerships, and community outreach efforts.   

Chang holds a PhD, Master of Architecture, and Master of Science in Architecture from the University of Michigan, and a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 

Chang came to KU as a faculty member in 2004. During this time, he has received numerous recognitions for his work as an educator and researcher and has held multiple administrative leadership positions. He served as interim chairperson of the architecture department from 2016 to 2018 and assistant chairperson for graduate studies from 2014 to 2016. He served as the associate chairperson of the architecture department from 2021 until being named associate dean. He has over 60 peer reviewed publications and has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding from industry partners. 

During his tenure, Chang has strengthened partnerships between academia and industry. He developed the architecture department’s Asia internship program by working with firms in Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia. And leveraging KU’s proximity to many of the top global sports and entertainment firms headquartered in Kansas City, he established the Sports + Entertainment final year option in Master of Architecture programs. This capstone option allows students to gain professional experience working on high profile projects with over a dozen national and international firms. In addition, he has partnered with local and international firms and KU alumni on academic studio and research projects.  

Since 2010, he has served as co-director of the Multicultural Architectural Scholars Program. His work has increased opportunities for Kansas City high school students from underrepresented populations through scholarships, mentorship programs, design camps, and tailored campus visits. By enhancing access, affordability, and talent pipelines, Chang exemplifies KU and the School’s commitment to increasing educational opportunities for students and to the state of Kansas. 

These efforts have helped expand architecture recruitment efforts beyond the Midwest and have been key to the department attracting increasingly accomplished students to KU. The department has continued to both increase enrollment numbers and bring in students with higher GPAs, text scores, and records of achievement than ever before. 

“I am thrilled that Dr. Chang has accepted this position,” said Dean of the School of Architecture and Design Mahbub Rashid. “He will serve the School with dedication and passion, and will help us break new ground for a promising future.”