Ilaria Valente is Full Professor in Architectural and Urban Design at the Department of Architecture and Urban Studies - Politecnico di Milano (DAStU). Ph.D. in Architectural Composition (1992 – IUAV Venice), she has taught and worked as a researcher since 1984, since January 2016, she is the Dean of the School of Architecture Urban Planning Construction Engineering- Politecnico di Milano, member of the Board of the Conferenza Universitaria Italiana di Architettura (CUIA) and Vice- President of the European Association for Architectural Education (EAAE).
During the last ten years Ilaria Valente has filled several administrative positions at Politecnico di Milano: Joint Head of the Bachelor of Science Program in Architecture Science at the Facoltà di Architettura e Società (2007- 2010) ; Joint Head of the Postgraduate Master Programme “Strategic design for the enhancement of architectural, urban, environmental resources (2003-04; 2004-05); Head of the Master of Science in Architecture Scuola di Architettura e Società -School of Architecture and Society (2011-2012); Head of Ph.D. programme in Architectural and Urban Design (2007-2012); member of the Board and Deputy “Director of the School of Doctoral Programs of the Politecnico di Milano (2010-12); Dean of the School of Architecture and Society (2012-2015) .
Valente has collaborated with international and national research institutions. Her research is devoted to theory, tools, and design methods, with particular attention to the architecture of open and public spaces, of urban morphology and architectural typology, and the shape of infrastructures in contemporary territories.
Valente devised and directed the educational and research initiative "Reforming Milan: Projects for areas and buildings in a state of decay and neglect." (2013-2016) promoted by the School of Architecture of the Politecnico di Milano in collaboration with the Department of Urban Planning, Private Building, Agriculture of the Municipality of Milan. This three year educational program involved numerous design studios exploring the the possibility of recycling, with permanent or temporary uses, areas and buildings in a state of decay and neglect. The "Reforming Milan" design issues were exhibited at Triennale di Milano in July 2015.
The commitment to studies on architectural and urban design and on architecture of open and public spaces was also part of initiatives promoted by national and international institutions such as Triennale de Milano such as the Triennale di Milano (Le architetture dello spazio pubblico. Forme del passato, forme del presente, 1997). In this same area there has also been collaboration with the Barragan Foundation and the Vitra Design Museum (Weil am Rhein) for archival research for the exhibition "Lu­s Barragn- The quiet revolution" (2000, hosted in Vienna, Berlin, London, Seville, Japan and Mexico and Latin America).
In recent years, Ilaria Valente has promoted exhibition in the Guido Nardi Exhibition Roomâ of the School of Architecture, Saul Steinberg in Milan in collaboration with The Saul Steinberg Foundation and Domus; and, with Triennale di Milano: Le Corbusier tra noi. Le Corbusier, Milan and the architectural debate 1934-1966 (Triennale Xtra, during EXPO 2015) and Campus & Controcampus (with Marco Biraghi, XX1 Triennale International Exhibition, April 4th-September 12th).
Ilaria Valente was a member of the assessment panel of the National Agency for Assessment of the University and Research (ANVUR) for the evaluation of the quality of the research in the domain of architectural design
in 2013 she sat in a Committee of the Ministry of Education, University, Research devoted to the admission requirement at the "numerus clausus" programs. Ilaria Valente attended to several boards of examiners of the Ph.D. thesis, in Italy and abroad, and of academic position screenings.