Sarkisian

Mark Sarkisian is a Partner at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), where he has shaped the skylines of cities around the world through more than 100 iconic projects. His portfolio includes the Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai, the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, and the Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland—each recognized for architectural and engineering excellence. A pioneer in seismic and sustainable design, Mark holds 15 U.S. and international patents and authored Designing Tall Buildings: Structure as Architecture, a foundational text in structural education. His leadership at SOM has earned the firm repeated honors, including recognition from the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC), which awarded Mark the prestigious H.J. Brunnier Lifetime Achievement Award. He is also a recipient of the Fazlur Khan Life-Cycle Civil Engineering Medal and is a member of the National Academy of Engineering. Mark holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Connecticut and a master’s degree in structural engineering from Lehigh University. A dedicated educator and mentor, Mark teaches at UC Berkeley, Stanford, and other institutions, inspiring the next generation of engineers through a career rooted in innovation, integrity, and civic responsibility.