Sonja Hildebrand

Sonja Hildebrand is a Full Professor of History of Modern and Contemporary Architecture at the Academy of Architecture, University of Italian Switzerland (USI), and currently serves as Vice-Rector for Sustainable Transformation and Equal Opportunities. She holds a PhD (1997) and Habilitation (2008) from the Technical University of Munich. Her research focuses on 19th- and 20th-century architectural culture, Gottfried Semper’s theoretical work, Nazi-era architecture, and architectural education history.

Education:

• Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich (Art History)
• Free University of Berlin
• PhD: Technical University of Munich (1997)
• Habilitation: Technical University of Munich (2008)

Research & Leadership: Director of a Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) project on Gottfried Semper’s 'Der Stil' (with Philip Ursprung). Led projects at TU Munich, ETH Zurich, and USI, funded by Swiss and German agencies. Specializes in Swiss and German modern architecture, architectural historiography, and urbanization theory.

Exhibitions Curated:

• Museum für Gestaltung Zürich (Semper, 2003; Haefeli Moser Steiger, 2007)
• Kunsthaus Zürich (Karl Moser, 2010)
• USI Mendrisio Architecture Theater (André Corboz, 2022)

Awards: Award-winning PhD thesis on Egon Eiermann.

Administrative Roles: Vice Dean for Research at the Academy of Architecture, Co-President of the Doctoral Committee, and Member of USI Research Committee. Previously, Adjunct Professor at ETH Zurich (Werner Oechslin Chair).