Cambridge top architect Francois Penz relocates to China from UK

Francois Penz, former head of the department of architecture at the University of Cambridge and a pioneer in the interdisciplinary field of architecture and film, has joined Nanjing University on a full-time basis.The school of architecture and urban planning of Nanjing University announced the appointment on its social media account on March 17.Penz is an emeritus professor at the university, a former director of The Martin Centre for Architectural and Urban Studies, a fellow of Darwin College and director of the Design, Visualisation and Communication Digital Laboratory.He was selected for China’s National Leading Talent Programme in 2025, having already collaborated with Nanjing University for many years before joining full-time.Born in France in 1953, Francois Penz studied architecture at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland in the early 1970s.Before arriving, his knowledge of Cambridge was limited to its rowing rivalry with Oxford. He spent the next 45 years at this university.