Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, who has served as interim dean of the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs since January 2023, has been appointed the school’s permanent dean, effective June 1.
In her interim role, Loukaitou-Sideris has provided strong and principled leadership and oversight during challenging times. During her tenure, the Luskin School has launched several new curriculum initiatives and degree programs, including a master’s in real estate management and a master’s in global public affairs. Loukaitou-Sideris has also led the development and adoption of the Luskin School’s 2024 strategic plan, significantly enhanced student fellowships, and initiated the annual UCLA Luskin California Briefing in Sacramento to make the school’s 10 research centers more visible to California policymakers.
“Anastasia’s academic and administrative experience and achievements, coupled with her longstanding and deep commitment to the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, position her well to lead the school at this critical juncture,” UCLA Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Darnell Hunt wrote today in a message to campus announcing Loukaitou-Sideris’ permanent role. “Chancellor Frenk and I are confident that UCLA Luskin will continue to fulfill its vital role on and beyond campus, and that Anastasia will continue to help the school enhance its reach and impact.”
Loukaitou-Sideris, a distinguished professor of urban planning and a core faculty member of the UCLA Urban Humanities Initiative, joined UCLA in 1989. She served as associate dean of UCLA Luskin from 2010 to 2022. In addition to her long record of service in the dean’s office, she has held other leadership positions at UCLA, including serving as associate provost for academic planning from 2016 to 2019 and as chair of the department of urban planning from 2002 to 2008.
“I am deeply honored to serve as the dean of the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, a school that has uniquely shaped my own career as a scholar and whose faculty are undertaking ground-breaking research on the most important social issues and challenges of our times.”
An internationally recognized public space scholar, Loukaitou-Sideris is known for her research integrating social and physical issues in urban planning and architecture, emphasizing the need to understand the perspectives of those who live and work in a community when designing its built environment and listen to the voices of underrepresented, vulnerable groups. She is also the author or editor of 14 books and numerous articles.
Her work has informed urban design and policy changes, including the development of the Golden Age Park in Los Angeles’ Westlake neighborhood — the first age-friendly park in the United States — and passage of a bill requiring large transit operators to conduct annual passenger surveys on harassment and victimization. Her research has been supported by state and federal departments as well as prominent nonprofits and research institutes.
After receiving her bachelor’s degree in architecture from the National Technical University of Athens, Loukaitou-Sideris earned master’s degrees in architecture and planning and her doctorate in urban planning from the University of Southern California.
“I am deeply honored to serve as the dean of the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, a school that has uniquely shaped my own career as a scholar and whose faculty are undertaking ground-breaking research on the most important social issues and challenges of our times,” she said. “I am also grateful and excited for the opportunity to work with the Luskin community — faculty, students, staff, alumni and board members — to continue the school’s upward trend and extend its visibility and impact locally, nationally and globally.”
