Sunday, September 1, 2024
Headshot of Phuong Nguyen wearing a hat.

Teaching and research focus
Public policy and public finance

What’s your academic and professional background?
After finishing college, I worked for the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs for five years. I went to Duke University on a Fulbright Scholarship and completed a master’s in public policy. I then obtained a PhD in public administration from Syracuse University.

What current research projects or initiatives are you working on? How do you hope they contribute to the field and address real-world challenges?
I’ve published several studies on tax increment financing (TIF) in Iowa. I am working on two TIF studies, one in Nebraska and one in Iowa. I hope these studies will help policy makers and stakeholders understand the effects of TIF better.

What excites you most about your work? 
What excites me most about my work is teaching and research. In teaching, I'm energized by the opportunity to prepare future planners and public servants who will directly shape our cities and communities. For example, it's incredibly rewarding to see our students apply analytic methods to real-world problems or analyze the effects of different revenue policies.

My research allows me to dive deep into pressing issues facing our cities and regions with TIF being an example. My research keeps my teaching current and relevant, while interactions with students often spark new research questions or ideas.

What advice do you have for students who are just starting their journey in planning or public affairs? 
Embrace the interdisciplinary nature of your degree, developing depth in a specific concentration while maintaining the broad skills of a generalist. This approach will help you find employment.

If your wish could be granted, what one thing related to your area of study would you like to see change in in the world?
I would like to see every household in the world have access to quality and affordable housing, green spaces, and essential public services.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work? 
Going to the gym and taking my children to different extra-curricular activities

What’s your favorite music genre or era of music? 
1980's pop music

What’s the best book you’ve read lately? 
The Work of the Future: Building Better Jobs in an Age of Intelligent Machines, by David Autor et al.

What's your favorite place to eat or spend time in the Iowa City area that you would recommend to students and visitors?
The Bep Teahouse in downtown Iowa City.