Manas Murthy

This is a photo of me giving a talk to students of architecture in India about the role of heritage in post-disaster scenarios. It’s a talk I had very little time to prepare, but was surprised by how much I was driven and passionate about. This is where I learned about my passion for teaching.

Degree: PhD in Architecture

Expected Graduation Date: Spring 2022

Previous Degrees
BArch, Sushant School of Art and Architecture, Guru Gobind Indraprastha University, Gurgaon, Harayana, India

MA Urban Design School of Architecture and City and Regional Planning, Cardiff University Cardiff, Wales, UK

MA Sustainable Urbanism Princes Foundation for Building Community, University of Wales, Trinity St. David, London, UK

I’m From: Delhi, India

Why I Came to the UO and How I Chose My Major
Initially, my interest in UO was due to Prof Howard Davis, my advisor, who I met at a conference in Hamburg in 2010, when the PhD program was just being started. At the time however, I was just finishing up my masters and was driven to work in the field. Howard’s own research is very close to my approach, and our views on the informal development of cities was what attracted me to the idea of doing a PhD under his guidance. However, upon arriving here I gradually became very interested in the diverse range of research undertaken. The building science research is cutting edge, and the department has a long history of excellence in sustainable design research. In addition, the Spatial Justice Initiative has brought some very interesting scholars to the department, with whom I have had the pleasure of discussing my own research and learning about life as a PhD scholar in built environment research.

Due to my multidisciplinary training in urbanism and urban design, sustainable mobility, and community engagement, I have been in a position to apply to PhD programs in Urban Studies, Geography, Environmental Studies or even Urban Planning. However, I am firm in my decision to extend urban knowledge in architecture as a discipline. I believe the discipline must engage more deeply with issues of the production of cities and learn from other disciplines in understanding the context in which we as architects operate.

Unique Qualities I Bring to My Studies
My professional experience in organizing community engagement led projects and action research around issues of urban mobility and public space design, have enabled me to engage with lay people and understand their motivations in seeking improvements in their built environment. I hope to use this ability to bring architects and built environment professionals closer to the populations they serve. In my own research, this ability will enable me to build rapport with my interview participants and conduct ethnographic work, despite my lack of experience in anthropology or qualitative research methods.

My Influential Professors
During my first year as a doctoral student at UO, I chose to extend my knowledge base far beyond my own discipline in order to learn from a broader perspective. I took courses in Geography, Political Science, Anthropology, Education, among others. However, my most impactful experience was with Prof. Sangita Gopal from the English department. I was with her in the Comparative Literature course on Media in the Global South. I realized through the course that the language and media perspective is possibly the most transdisciplinary approach towards research. I learned how research on the smallest of things may be connected to a meta-narrative beyond disciplinary boundaries.

My Extracurricular Activities
Before joining UO, I had been teaching for a number of years in India and realized the importance of being an engaged student and participating in extra-curricular activities. Since my arrival here I have made sure to be an actively contributing member of the community. I have held the following positions in my two years at UO: Member, University Scholarship Committee, University of Oregon (2020); Member, Spatial Justice Initiative Advisory Group, School of Architecture and Environment, University of Oregon (2019 – Ongoing); Department Steward for Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation (GTFF), University of Oregon (2018 – Ongoing), and Student Representative, Graduate Studies Committee, Dept. of Architecture, University of Oregon (2018 – 2019).

In addition, I am a member of a Graduate Student Theater Group called ‘Rehearsals for Life’ under the Dean of Students, where we conduct workshops with students, faculty and staff in addressing issues of racism, bias, and oppression.

My Greatest Learning Experience at UO
All of my previous degree courses were extremely structured with very little scope for exploration and an outside perspective. Being a graduate student at UO and specifically within the U.S. system, I have had the chance to explore a whole new world of disciplinary perspectives. I have learned from reading groups in Political Science, and Philosophy. I have made friends in Earth Sciences, attended lectures and talks on diverse subjects. All of this has collectively enabled me to see a world beyond architecture and the built environment. I always felt that my discipline has to learn from others, but this is the first time I have actually learned this first hand and I am a more competent, well-rounded researcher for it.

After Graduation
As a doctoral scholar, I hope to find my way into academics eventually. However, given my training as an architect, I hope to continue working in the space between two worlds; academia and industry. More specifically, I hope to undertake action-research with communities in the rapidly urbanizing global South, where I can use my expertise to conceive and co-create public realm improvements to built environments, shape policy and update pedagogy within schools of higher learning. I hope that what I learn through my PhD may be immediately used to address the vast gap between ground realities and governance approaches in my own city of Delhi. And most importantly I hope that I can advocate for spatial justice through both my academics and practice.

Your Gift
While the current pandemic has been catastrophic for many PhD students around me, specifically with regards to completing fieldwork and gathering primary data, my own timeline for doing the same should hopefully remain safe. However, my intended period of fieldwork will take me away from the US and my source of income as a GE at UO. This scholarship, in concert with others I have been awarded, will go entirely towards supporting my fieldwork period, as well as conferences that I would very much like to register for and possibly attend during the coming year.

I cannot thank you enough for supporting my research during these uncertain times. I understand that academic budgets have scarcely been in greater danger before, and any help from generous donors is extremely valuable. I appreciate that such support is being offered to fields of research that are not necessarily hard sciences based. I cannot claim to be saving the world. However, I do understand that it is important research, in connecting people, experts and the government in rapidly urbanizing areas of the world, where this knowledge and collaboration is sorely lacking. But most importantly, I thank you for showing confidence in me and my ability to succeed! Thank you!