Donald McNeill

Professor Donald McNeill, MA (Glasgow), MCD (Liverpool), PhD (Cardiff), serves as Professor of Urbanism and Dean of the Sydney School of Architecture, Design and Planning at the University of Sydney. He joined the University in early 2020, initially as a faculty member, and progressed to Associate Dean for Research from 2021 to 2024. In July 2024, he was appointed Interim Head of School, followed by his permanent appointment as Head of School and Dean effective January 2025. With over 25 years of academic experience spanning the United Kingdom and Australia, McNeill previously held positions at the University of Strathclyde, University of Southampton, King’s College London, and Western Sydney University, where he was affiliated with the Institute for Culture and Society and the Urban Research Centre. He also served as Visiting Scholar at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture and Planning in 2010 and Special Professor at the University of Nottingham’s School of Geography from 2011 to 2013.

McNeill’s research explores the intersections of human geography, economic sociology, spatial planning, urban design, and architecture, with a focus on the political and cultural economy of globalization and cities, including topics such as urban underground geographies and digital governance. He has acted as Chief Investigator on seven Australian Research Council grants, including a Future Fellowship for ‘Governing digital cities’ from 2012 to 2016. His ongoing projects include ‘The university and the city’ and ‘Indigenising the Built Environment in Australia’. In teaching, he specializes in urban design, urban theory, and the history of cities. McNeill has published extensively in human geography and urban studies, authoring key books such as The Global Architect: Firms, Fame and Urban Form (Routledge, 2008), New Europe: Imagined Spaces (Arnold, 2004), and Urban Change and the European Left: Tales from the New Barcelona (Routledge, 1999). Among his honors is the Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence Award for Researcher of the Year 2016 at Western Sydney University, and he currently serves as a Trustee of the Urban Studies Foundation.

Professional Email: d.mcneill@sydney.edu.au