Frederick R. "Fritz" Steiner is an American ecologist who currently serves as the Dean and Paley Professor for the University of Pennsylvania School of Design, having succeeded Marilyn Jordan Taylor in 2016.
He has also served as a city planning commissioner and has worked with community groups, as well as national environmental and conservation organizations.
Following the announcement of his new position in February 2016, Steiner stated his decision to leave UT Austin had been influenced by Texas Government Code Section 411.2031,[2] which entitles licensed individuals to carry concealed handguns onto the campus of an institution of higher education--dubbed "Campus Carry."
In 2019, Steiner worked with Richard Weller, Karen M’Closkey, Billy Fleming, and William Whitaker to organize Design With Nature Now to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ian McHarg's landmark book.
The celebration involved a conference, three exhibitions, a book, and a special issue of the journal Socio-Ecological Practice Research.