Architect and educator Hashim Sarkis has been appointed as Director of La Biennale di Venezia's Architecture Sector, tasking him to curate the 7th International Architecture Exhibition in 2020.

Sarkis started his firm Hashim Sarkis Studios, with offices in Cambridge and Beirut, in 1998 and has served as Dean of MIT's School of Architecture and Planning since January 2015. He was a member of the international jury of the Biennale Architettura 2016.

"The world is putting new challenges in front of architecture," said Sarkis, who has an expertise in design in the Middle East and Muslim societies. "I look forward to working with participating architects from around the world to imagine together how we are going to rise to these challenges."

Listen to our 2015 podcast interview with Hashim Sarkis, almost one year into his Deanship at MIT.

The list of recent Venice Biennale Architecture Directors includes Irish architects Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara of Grafton Architects (2018), Alejandro Aravena of Chilean firm ELEMENTAL (2016), Dutch megastar Rem Koolhaas of OMA (2014), and British David Chipperfield (2012).

Biennale board members also announced the dates of the 2020 Architecture Exhibition to be held from May 23 to November 29.