The Loeb Fellowship at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design has announced its Class of 2026, a cohort of 10 practitioners whose work spans continents and disciplines—from urban governance to sound art, architecture to activism. Each fellow joins the program with a shared mission: to explore how design can foster equity, resilience, and collective action.
Selected for their leadership and transformative work in the built and natural environments, the 2026 fellows will spend 10 months residing at Harvard engaging with students, faculty, and one another. They’ll audit courses across Harvard and MIT, participate in public events, and reflect on how to expand the impact of their careers.
“Their insights and experience challenge us to see the role of design in new ways,” says Sarah M. Whiting, dean of the Harvard GSD. “It is my pleasure to welcome the Class of 2026 to campus next fall.”
The incoming fellows are:
- Daniela Chacón Arias (Quito, Ecuador): Co-founder and executive director of Tandem, Chacón Arias champions more inclusive urban development in Latin America.
- Cecilia Cuff (Chicago): Founder of the Nascent Group, she fuses hospitality, community, and design to support underserved neighborhoods.
- Jeremiah Ellison (Minneapolis): A Minneapolis City Council member, Ellison uses policy to address systemic inequities and advocate for housing justice.
- Pedro Évora Amaral (Rio de Janeiro ): An architect and educator, Amaral leads RUA Arquitetos and Évora ArPE while teaching at PUC-Rio.
- Jennifer Hughes (Washington, D.C.): As a senior adviser at the National Endowment for the Arts, Hughes guides initiatives that connect arts, health, and civic life.
- Natalia Rudiak (Pittsburgh): At ReImagine Appalachia, Rudiak advances regional policy and economic strategies grounded in sustainability and equity.
- Jacek Smolicki (Stockholm ): A sound artist and founder of Ekoton, Smolicki explores how sonic landscapes shape our perception of place. He is also the 2026 Loeb/ArtLab Fellow.
- Andy Summers (Glasgow, Scotland): As co-director of Architecture Fringe, Summers nurtures experimental design practices and public discourse on architecture.
- Julia Thayne (Los Angeles): Founder of Twoº & Rising, Thayne works at the intersection of climate tech, mobility, and urban strategy.
- Oliver Wainwright (London): Architecture and design critic at The Guardian, Wainwright brings a journalist’s lens to the politics of the built environment.
This year marks the fifth Loeb/ArtLab Fellowship, a collaboration between the Loeb Fellowship and Harvard’s ArtLab that supports artists working at the intersection of design and creative inquiry. Smolicki’s work, which examines memory, time, and environment through sound, will deepen the dialogue between sensory experience and spatial design.
“Sound is a vital layer of how we experience space,” says Bree Edwards, director of the ArtLab. “Jacek’s work helps us better understand the places we inhabit.”
The Loeb Fellowship was founded more than 50 years ago through the vision of John L. Loeb, who believed in the transformative power of bringing practitioners into the academic fold.
“In difficult times, the vision and actions of individuals with shared purpose rekindle hope,” says John Peterson, curator of the Loeb Fellowship and a 2006 fellow. “The Class of 2026 reminds us that better futures are possible.”
Following their residency, the fellows will join an influential network of more than 450 alumni who are shaping cities, policies, and practices worldwide. Notable past fellows include artist Rick Lowe (2002), urban strategist Eleni Myrivili (2020), and critic Henry Grabar (2024).
