Curator of the Loeb Fellowship

Share this

Harvard Graduate School of Design is seeking a curator of the Loeb Fellowship to join its faculty in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Why join the Harvard Graduate School of Design?

The Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD) educates leaders in design, research, and scholarship to make a resilient, just, and beautiful world. The GSD offers an unparalleled setting for interaction through the combination of disciplines – architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning and design, design engineering, real estate and housing – with an emerging research program and a robust public program of lectures and exhibition.

Job description

The Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) invites nominations and applications for the position of Curator of the Loeb Fellowship. The School seeks a highly accomplished individual to continue to uphold and build upon the 50+ year legacy of the Loeb Fellowship. The successful candidate will provide leadership to the Loeb Fellowship and the Loeb Alumni community and will advance the Fellowship’s contributions and connections to the academic community of the GSD, Harvard University, and beyond.

The signature program of Loeb Fellowship is a year-long residential fellowship for mid-career practitioners who are likely to become influential leaders in shaping the built and natural environment, and whose work is dedicated to advancing constructive social effects in the US and around the world. Loeb Fellows spend an academic year at Harvard’s GSD, where they have access to the intellectual and critical life of the University. Each annual class of Fellows, approximately 10 each year, is selected based on their potential to use the resources of the GSD, the University, and the current and past Fellows to become even more effective leaders and to have a greater impact as a result of their Fellowship year.  Now in its sixth decade, the Fellowship also supports the convening and initiatives of an active, engaged, and influential 500+ member Loeb Alumni community.  Loeb Alumni continue to foster ongoing work within cities and communities across the globe, and increasingly within programs and courses at the GSD, to influence and develop effective and inclusive solutions to the urgent challenges involving the future of our global built and natural environment.

For more information about the Loeb Fellowship, see: gsd.harvard.edu/loeb-fellowship.

Serving as Curator of the Loeb Fellowship offers an unparalleled opportunity to shape the future of leadership in the built and natural environments. You’ll have the unique privilege of stewarding a vibrant community of emerging mid-career innovators, change-makers, and thought leaders, enabling them to amplify their impact on pressing global challenges. Situated at the heart of one of the world’s premier academic institutions, you will enjoy the intellectual vitality and collaborative spirit of Harvard, with access to vast academic resources and a network of visionary professionals. This role presents the rare chance to leave a lasting mark, guiding an esteemed Fellowship through its next chapter and helping to empower generations of leaders who are redefining our cities, landscapes, and communities for the greater good.

Core duties and responsibilities

Reporting to the Dean of the GSD, the Curator provides vision and direction to the Loeb Fellowship program for mid-career professionals in design-related disciplines. As principal spokesperson for the program, the Curator directs outreach within Harvard and beyond. In addition to providing leadership to and management of the Loeb Fellowship in the four areas described below – curation, fellows, alumni, administration – the curator will also be expected to contribute to the School through service to the GSD. The Curator will set and manage a broad agenda that includes how the legacy of the program is maintained as well as how the future of the Fellowship can expand through the recruitment of new Fellows and the impact of its alumni.

Curation – program and fellows:

• drive strategic planning
• develop relationships and programming with diverse constituencies and external stakeholders
• explore knowledge production opportunities

Fellows – Loeb Fellowship Residency:

• convene cohort activities
• lead and serve on a nine-person Selection Committee for each cohort of Loeb Fellows
• serve as advisor to Fellows on yearly individual work plans

Alumni – Loeb Alumni:

• advance ongoing professional, intellectual, and social engagement among Loeb alumni while fostering deeper collaboration between the Loeb Fellowship program, Loeb alumni, current Loeb Fellows, GSD students, and faculty
• facilitate and communicate the development of shared projects
• collaborate with the Loeb Fellowship Alumni Association (LFAA) to pursue its mission by supporting alumni events and programs

Administration – communications, outreach and engagement, management:

• work with the GSD and Harvard Communications to develop and direct an overall internal and external communication strategy for promoting the Fellowship, including, but not limited to, Fellowship programming, recruitment, alumni promotion, and Loeb Fellowship Alumni Council programming
• build strategic relationships with other Harvard schools, programs, and centers, as well as with external partners across a range of disciplines
• establish partnerships with other media outlets to execute communications strategy
• develop both internal and external engagement strategy to advance access and relationships between Fellows, the GSD, the Harvard and other academic communities
• actively promote the Fellowship and its programs, including public speaking at conferences and events across the U.S. and the world
• identify and manage the Loeb Fellowship staff and capacity needs, including independent contractors and other partners
• direct financial management, including working with the finance office on an annual budget

Basic qualifications:

• an advanced degree or commensurate experience in architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning and design, or design studies is required
• proven curatorial, staff, and program management, and/or development leadership in an educational/design setting, including architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, urban design, or related field is required
• experience working with academic leadership and faculty in an external relations context

Additional competencies:

• leadership
• influential and esteemed public-facing presence.

Vision and strategy:

• ability to anticipate and imagine future possibilities, both strategic and
  programmatic

Initiative:

• capacity to create and execute strategic plans and initiatives

Collaboration and community-building:

• inclusive and culturally intelligent, with a caring and empathic approach to diverse populations representing multiple nationalities, cultures, viewpoints, experiences, and professional disciplines and fields of interest
• committed to GSD Community Values, Rights and Responsibilities

Additional information

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled, with an ideal start date of 1 July 2026.

The Loeb Fellowship curator will be appointed for an initial term of five years. The position is renewable, contingent upon review and reappointment by the Dean. The Loeb curator position is normally a full-time obligation; full-time residence in, or relocation to, the Boston metropolitan area is a requirement of the position.

As appropriate to the curator’s disciplinary and professional background, and at the discretion of the department chairs, a teaching appointment may be considered, reviewed annually, and contingent on continuation of the staff appointment.

Additional information:

• standard hours/schedule: 35 hours per week
• Visa Sponsorship Information: Harvard University is unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position
• pre-employment screening: identity

Work format details

This is a position that is based at a Harvard campus location with some remote work options available. Additional details will be discussed during the interview process. All remote work must be performed within one of the Harvard Registered Payroll States.

Salary grade and ranges

This position is salary grade level 060. Please visit Harvard’s Salary Ranges to view the corresponding salary range and related information.

Benefits

Harvard offers a comprehensive benefits package that is designed to support a healthy work-life balance and your physical, mental and financial wellbeing. Because here, you are what matters. Learn more about these benefits on our benefits and wellbeing page.

EEO/Non-Discrimination Commitment Statement

Harvard University is committed to equal opportunity and non-discrimination. We seek talent from all parts of society and the world, and we strive to ensure everyone at Harvard thrives. Our differences help our community advance Harvard’s academic purposes. Harvard has an equal employment opportunity policy that outlines our commitment
to prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, sex, ethnicity, color, national origin, religion, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or identified in the university’s non-discrimination policy. Harvard’s equal employment opportunity policy and non-discrimination policy help all community members participate fully in work and campus life free from harassment and discrimination.

Interested candidates should upload a cover letter and resume in the Harvard Employment website at Be Part of Harvard | Harvard University and search on requisition # 001179SR.

Salary: $100,000+