Michael Samuelian

Michael Samuelian is the founding director of the Urban Tech Hub at the Jacobs Technion‑Cornell Institute and the director of campus planning and sustainability at Cornell Tech.

From community development in Lower Manhattan and the creation of a new neighborhood at Hudson Yards to the activation of Governors Island, Samuelian has helped plan, design, and develop some of the most transformative projects in New York City.

As president and CEO of the Trust for Governors Island, he oversaw the planning, development, and operations of the island. From 2005 to 2016, Samuelian served as vice president at Related Companies, where he was a central figure in the planning and design of Hudson Yards, a $25 billion development on Manhattan’s West Side. In the aftermath of 9/11, he was director of Lower Manhattan special projects at the New York City Department of City Planning, where he played a key role in the recovery and rebuilding of Lower Manhattan.

Samuelian earned a master of architecture in urban design from Harvard University and a bachelor of architecture from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. He is a fellow of the American Institute of Architects, a member of the Urban Land Institute New York advisory board, a member of the board of trustees for the Center for Architecture, and a former member of the New York State Board for Architecture. In 2023, he was honored as a Power Player in Climate, Energy, and Sustainability by NYPolitics.com and recognized as a Notable LGBTQIA+ Leader by Crain’s New York Business.