Jon Lang is an emeritus professor of the University of New South Wales, where he headed the School of Architecture. Born in Kolkata, he received his early education in the city and in Kalimpong. He has a bachelor's degree in architecture from the University of the Witwatersrand and a doctorate from Cornell University. Jon taught in the urban design program at the University of Pennsylvania before settling in Australia. His book The Great Houses of Calcutta, which he co-wrote with Joanne Taylor, is one of the many that he has written or co-authored on architecture in India. In 2010 he received the Reed and Mallik Medal from the Institution of Civil Engineers in London.