​ ​Dr. Thi Phuoc Lai Nguyen is an environmental sociologist and Associate Professor in Development Governance and Policy and currently serves as Dean of the Faculty of Public Policy and Sustainable Development at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT). She holds a PhD in Governance and Complex Systems from the University of Sassari (Italy) and a Master’s degree in Development, Innovation and Change from the University of Bologna, Italy.

>Her interdisciplinary research focuses on human–environment interactions, socio-ecological systems, governance, and environmental inequalities, integrating social attitudes, behavioral responses, and institutional processes to address complex challenges related to environmental change, climate vulnerability, groundwater governance, urbanization, and sustainable agriculture.

Dr. Nguyen has led and contributed numerous international and regional research projects funded by organizations such as DFAT, NRCT, IDRC/SEI, ADB, CIRAD, SUMERNET, and UNESCO. She has authored a number of research papers in leading journals such as Agricultural Systems, Journal of Rural Studies, Applied Geography, Environmental Science & Policy, and Environmental Research, as well as book chapters and policy briefs.

In addition to her research, she plays an active leadership role in academic program development and governance, serving as Program Chair for multiple postgraduate programs and contributing to committees on urban innovation, sustainability, and environmental governance. She also serves on the editorial boards of Scientific Reports (Nature Portfolio), Research in Globalization (Elsevier) and Gender, Technology and Development, and as Guest Editor for Discover Environment (Springer Nature). Her long-standing engagement in capacity-building initiatives, policy roundtables, and stakeholder-driven workshops reflects her strong commitment to advancing equitable and sustainable development across Southeast Asia.