David J Isern

David J. Isern, ARdP, AIA, APA, NOMA is a Peruvian architect, Urbanists, and educator. He currently serves as the Associate Director for Academic Affairs and Director of Graduate Studies at the University of Illinois School of Architecture Urbana-Champaign. Isern founded his architecture practice David J Isern Studio, in 2017. Isern previously served as Director of Communication, Marketing and Outreach and Visiting Associate Professor at the Texas Tech University College of Architecture at Texas Tech University (2014–2020). Prior to establishing his studio, he worked at Grounding Design (formerly Haecceitas Studio) , Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Owings & Merrill (SOM), and Lorinza General Arquitectos in Peru.
== Life and education ==
Isern was born in Lima, Peru. He attended the Reina del Mundo School, a private catholic school founded by the Congregation of the Mission of Vincent de Paul from Hildesheim, Germany, located in La Molina District. He immigrated to the United States with his family, living in the USA-Mexico boarded city of Roma, Texas, where he attended Roma High School graduating in the Top 10 of his class. He was the recipient of the 2008 Gold Seal for his work, the highest award bestowed by the Texas Art Education Association. He attended Texas Tech University Texas Tech University College of Architecture, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Architecture and graduating at the top of his class. He served as the creative director and editor of the CROP Journal. He continued to receive his Master of Architecture (M.Arch) and a Certificate in Urban design, as well as a Master of Business Administration from the Rawls College of Business. He attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT Sloan School of Management in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he received an executive education. He continued his studies at the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, UK, where he received his Master of Philosophy under the supervision of Felipe Hernandez (architect) at the Centre of Latin American Studies (CLAS). His thesis was titled "The Comedores and Ollas Populares as Urban Engagement Tools: The Socio-political Actions that Contribute to the Architecture of Collective Cooking in Lima, Peru".
== Career and research ==
Isern started his career in architecture by working at Lorinza General Arquitectos in Peru and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Owings & Merrill (SOM) in New York, where he worked on various projects in the United States, Asia, and Latin America. Later he started working at Grounding Design (formerly Haecceitas Studio). He founded David J. Isern Studio with offices in Texas, USA and Lima, Peru. His design work operates at all scales and forms with projects in the US, Latin America, and Asia. He also worked as the Director of Marketing Pro-tempore at Architexas in Dallas, Texas. Isern is a member of the Forbes Communication Council, where he has contributed to many publications and op-eds in Forbes.
His higher education teaching and administrative career started at Texas Tech University, where he served as Coordinator of National Architectural Accrediting Board Accreditation and Lecturer. Here Isern worked to get full accreditation for the architecture program. He was then promoted as the inaugural Director of Communication, Marketing, and Outreach and Visiting Associate Professor, where he worked to redevelop the College of Architecture Brand and Strategic Plan, First Yeard Design Sequence and created the Design Critical Practice campaign for the outreach and development efforts of the college. Isern was also a member of the RAISE Committee under the TTU Office of the Lawrence Schovanec that worked to get the Hispanic-serving institution status for the University. 
In 2021 Isern was named the inaugural associate director for Academic Affairs for the University of Illinois School of Architecture Urbana-Champaign where he oversees the curricular, staffing, and outreach efforts for the School. He is also the Director of Graduate Studies, where he is responsible for decisions about the graduate programs, including the Master of Architecture (MArch), Master of Science in Architecture Studies (MSAS), the PhD in architecture, and all the school's graduate concentrations and certificates.
Category:People from Lima
Category:Peruvian-Americans
Category:Peruvian architects
Category:Peruvian educators
Category:Alumni of the University of Cambridge