Grace Ong Yan, PhD

Professor Ong Yan is an educator, architecture and design historian, writer, theorist, and designer. Her interdisciplinary approach to education and research melds media, graphics, and space, illuminating the dynamics of dissent and diverse cultural expressions within design. Her current research delves into the environmental graphics of interior, architectural, and urban spaces during the transformative 1960s and 70s. Since joining Thomas Jefferson University in 2011, Dr. Ong Yan has been inspiring undergraduate, Masters, and Ph.D. students through her comprehensive teaching of history and theory courses, interior design studios, research & programming courses, seminars on post-war experiments in media and space, and thesis advising. Prior to coming to Jefferson, Dr. Ong Yan’s teaching portfolio includes pivotal roles at IE University, Pratt Institute, Parsons School of Design, and as the Reyner Banham Fellow at the University at Buffalo, SUNY. 

As a published author, Dr. Ong Yan’s Building Brands: Modern Architecture and Corporations (Lund Humphries, 2021) explores the symbiotic rise of architecture, advertising, and branding in America from the late 1920s to the 1960s. Her scholarly contributions on non-western perspectives, notably the Pritzker Prize-commissioned essay on Wang Shu and interpretations of Minoru Yamasaki’s work reflect her commitment to a broadened narrative in design discourse. Ong Yan’s writings are featured in publications including the journals, Design and Culture (Taylor & Francis), and Interiors: Design Architecture Culture (Routledge) and books, The Companions to the History of Architecture, Vol. IV, Twentieth-Century Architecture (Wiley-Blackwell), and Public Interiority (Routledge). Dr. Ong Yan’s editorial finesse is showcased as co-editor of the acclaimed book ARCHITECT: The Pritkzer Prize Laureates in Their Own Words (Blackdog and Levanthal, 1^st ed. 2018, 2^nd ed. 2010). Her funded research endeavors have been backed by prestigious organizations, including Hagley Museum and Library, New York Foundation for the Arts, Canadian-American Foundation and Academic Advisory Council for Signage Research & Education.  

In the realm of professional practice, Dr. Ong Yan’s expertise was honed at globally recognized firms in Paris and New York. Her contributions to Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Gensler New York’s Branding Studio, Pei Cobb Freed and Partners, Robert A.M. Stern Architects, and Rafael Viñoly Architects are complemented by her independent design practice lauded in exhibitions and competitions, including Storefront for Art & Architecture and the Osaka International Design Competition. Her latest collaborative venture, “Redemption,” is a public artwork in Long Island, New York, paying homage to Black history—a testament to her belief in design as a medium for social narrative and remembrance.  

As an active member of the design community, Professor Ong Yan serves on the DocomomoUS-Greater Philadelphia board and maintains memberships with several professional societies including Society of Architectural Historians, Interior Designers Educators Council, and The Society for American City and Regional Planning History, furthering the discourse on architectural history, preservation, and education.