Grace Ong Yan

Dr. Grace Ong Yan is an Associate Professor at Thomas Jefferson University's College of Architecture and the Built Environment. She holds a PhD in Architecture (2010) and has taught at institutions including IE University and Moore College of Art & Design. Her research focuses on corporate architecture, design history, and sustainability, with notable works like Building Brands: Modern Architecture and Corporations (2021) and co-edited ARCHITECT: The Pritzker Prize Laureates in Their Own Words (2010/2018).

Her research interests include the intersection of advertising, corporations, and architectural design, as explored in her dissertation Architecture, Advertising and Corporations, 1929-1959. Recent projects include the public artwork Redemption (2024), highlighting Black history, and exhibitions at Storefront for Art & Architecture. She serves on the board of DocomomoUS-Greater Philadelphia.

Awards and fellowships include the 2023-24 AACSRE Emerging Fellowship and the 2003-04 Reyner Banham Fellowship at SUNY Buffalo. Her work bridges historical analysis with contemporary design practices, emphasizing materiality and corporate influence on architectural forms.