Mónica Ponce de León, the George Dutton ‘27 Professor in Architecture and former dean of the School of Architecture at Princeton University, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. The academy described its members as representing “the highest standards of artistic achievement in this country,” according to its announcement.
The American Academy of Arts and Letters, established in 1898, is an honor society that includes leading architects, artists, composers, and writers from across the United States. Membership is limited to 300 individuals who are elected for life.
Ponce de León joined Princeton’s faculty in 2016. She is recognized as an award-winning architect and educator, as well as the founding principal of MPdL Studio. She is known for her pioneering work in robotic fabrication within architecture and has been acknowledged throughout her career for innovation both in architectural practice and higher education.
As dean from 2016 to 2025, Ponce de León oversaw significant changes at Princeton’s School of Architecture. Her leadership included expanding undergraduate and graduate programs, introducing new teaching methods, and organizing conferences and exhibitions aimed at showcasing faculty and student work to broader audiences.
Her professional accolades include the Cooper Hewitt/Smithsonian National Design Award in Architecture, the Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a USA Target Fellowship in Architecture and Design from United States Artists, the Harleston Parker Medal from the Boston Society for Architecture, several Progressive Architecture Awards, and a Teaching Award of Excellence from the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture.
Ponce de León joins other Princeton professors who are also members of the academy: Elizabeth Diller (professor of architecture), Jeffrey Eugenides (professor of creative writing), Yiyun Li (Robert F. Goheen Professor in the Humanities), Steven Mackey (William Shubael Conant Professor of Music), John McPhee (senior fellow in journalism), Paul Muldoon (Howard G.B. Clark ’21 University Professor Emeritus), and Joyce Carol Oates (Roger S. Berlind ’52 Professor Emeritus).
She will be formally inducted into the academy during its annual ceremony scheduled for May in New York City.
