Phi Nguyen

Phi Nguyen is a practicing architect and urban researcher specializing in the intersections of urbanization, migration, top-down heritagization, and local placemaking in postcolonial cities. She recently completed her PhD in Urbanism at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland, where she also served as a teaching fellow at the Geneva School of Art and Design. Phi holds a Master's in Architecture from Harvard's Graduate School of Design and a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and Studio Arts (valedictorian, summa cum laude) from Berea College, U.S.

Her current project, supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation, deepens her doctoral research into the mnemonic sites of Huế, Vietnam. This research explores how the city's urban fabric reflects local aspirations for belonging amidst the complex dynamics of (de)colonization. By focusing on lesser-known and contested spaces in postcolonial cities, Phi’s work challenges prevailing global heritage designation standards and amplifies the silenced voices of displaced communities amid socio-political changes. During her fellowship, Phi plans to develop her first book, complemented by a digital humanities project to engage a broader audience.

Alongside her academic pursuits, Phi is actively involved in the design field and public engagement. She co-founded the architectural firm Atelier NgNg, whose projects in Vietnam and the U.S. have been published internationally. She received a Graham Foundation grant (2018-2019) to coordinate an exhibition at the Huế Museum of Fine Arts, highlighting the city’s unheralded local architectural sites to the public. This experience, along with her participation in the "Site and Space in Southeast Asia" program organized by the University of Sydney and supported by the Getty Foundation (2018-2021), laid the foundation for her research.