Robert A. M. Stern is a widely acclaimed architect, teacher and writer. He is a fellow of the American Institute of Architects and received the AIA New York Chapter's Medal of Honor in 1984 as well as the Chapter's President's Award in 2001. In 2002 he received the President’s Medal from the Architectural League of New York, and in 2008 he was the 10th recipient of the Vincent Scully Prize from the National Building Museum.

As founder and senior partner of Robert A.M. Stern Architects, he personally directs the design of each of the firm's projects. He may be most known for his residential design work; his forte is combining historical styles with contemporary contexts and successfully melding buildings with their surroundings.

Stern received a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and a master’s in architecture from Yale University. He is the dean of the Yale School of Architecture and lectured at Yale as the William Clyde DeVane Professor. Previously Stern was professor of architecture and director of the Historic Preservation Program at the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation at Columbia University.

Stern was the first director of Columbia's Temple Hoyne Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture, and he has lectured extensively in the United States and abroad on topics of architecture. He is the author of several books, including New Directions in American Architecture; George Howe: Toward a Modern American Architecture; and Modern Classicism. Stern's particular interest in the development of New York City's architecture and urbanism can be seen in books he has coauthored: New York 1900; New York 1930, which was nominated for a National Book Award; New York 1960; New York 1880; and New York 2000.

Many books on Stern’s work have been published. His work has also been exhibited at numerous galleries and universities and is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Deutsches Architektur museum, the Denver Museum of Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1976, 1980 and 1996, he was among the architects selected to represent the United States at the Venice Biennale. In 1986. Stern hosted "Pride of Place: Building the American Dream," an eight-part, eight-hour documentary television series aired on the Public Broadcasting System. Stern served on the board of directors of The Walt Disney Company from 1992 to 2003.