Dede Fairchild Ruggles

Professor Dede Fairchild Ruggles is a Presidential Humanities and Social Science Endowed Chair at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, with primary appointment in the Department of Landscape Architecture. She also holds affiliated appointments in Art History, Architecture, Medieval Studies, Spanish and Portuguese Studies, the Center for South Asian and Middle East Studies, and Women and Gender in Global Perspectives. As Director of the Unit for Criticism and Interpretive Theory, she fosters interdisciplinary scholarship.

• AB, Harvard University (1980)
• MA & PhD, University of Pennsylvania (1987, 1991)

Her research bridges environmental humanities and Islamic/Mediterranean studies, focusing on:

• Water management in historic landscapes
• Cultural heritage preservation
• Gendered architectural patronage
• Sensory experience in Islamic spatial design

Recent projects include a materialist analysis of Granada's built environment and co-editing the 'Land Knowledge Practice' series for Dumbarton Oaks. Her work has been supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Getty Foundation.

Scientific Awards

• Nancy Lapp Book Award (ASOR, 2020)
• J.B. Jackson Book Prize (Foundation for Landscape Studies)
• Millard Meiss Publication Grant (College Art Association)

She teaches courses on Islamic architecture, cultural heritage, environmental materialism, and sensory landscapes, contributing to UIUC's cultural heritage symposia program.