Mai Thi Nguyen

Mai Thi Nguyen is a distinguished academic professional serving as a Professor and Director at UC San Diego and UCSD Design Lab since March 2021. Nguyen also holds the position of Filene Fellow for the Center of Excellence for Community Social Impact at the Filene Research Institute, focusing on enhancing credit unions' social impact within communities. As Director of the Academic Leadership Program at UNC-Chapel Hill, Nguyen supports the development of current and emerging academic leaders. Additionally, Nguyen is President of Urban Planning Solutions LLC and previously served as Director at the UNC Center for Community Capital and the Moore Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program. With an extensive research background in housing policy and social/spatial inequality, Nguyen contributed as an Associate Professor at the University of North Carolina from 2006 to 2021. Educational credentials include a PhD in Urban Planning from UC Irvine and an MA in Sociology from Pennsylvania State University.