Florence Graezer Bideau

Florence Graezer Bideau is a Full Professor at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), affiliated with the College of Humanities and the Section of Architecture. She directs the Heritage, Anthropology and Technology Research Group (HAT) and holds teaching and leadership roles in SHS, SAR, HRC, CDH, and EDAR. She was a Visiting Professor at Politecnico di Torino (2015–2021) and serves on the Doctoral Program Architecture and Urban Sciences committee.

She earned her PhD in History and Civilization from EHESS, Paris, in 2005. Her research centers on culture and power, heritage processes, urban anthropology, and intangible cultural heritage, with regional expertise in China, Malaysia, and Switzerland. She leads an SNSF-funded project on Uses of cultural heritage at the Beijing Winter Olympic Games of 2022 and has published extensively on heritage-making, urban memory, and UNESCO dynamics.

Her recent publications analyze the role of mega-events in industrial heritage transformation, critical anthropology of heritage, and the politics of memory in cities like Beijing, Rome, and Mexico City. The articles reflect interdisciplinary trends combining anthropology, urban studies, heritage governance, and political sociology, with a strong focus on discourse, power, and spatial justice.

She has received notable recognition including the Koos Bosma Prize in Planning History Innovation (2022) and the Best Teaching Award from EPFL’s College of Humanities (2022).

In her advisory role, she supervises PhD candidates in architecture, urban studies, and anthropology. She has directed the Minor in Area and Cultural Studies (2012–2016) and promotes interdisciplinary education through field experiences. Her work is supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Swiss Network for International Studies.

She is actively involved in international academic discourse, contributing to conferences on heritage, urbanism, and anthropology, and collaborates with institutions in Italy, China, and Switzerland.