She attained her PhD in Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Passau. From 2007-2008 she was a visiting scholar at the Vietnam National University Hanoi. Her research interests are urbanism, communication, and state-society relations in Southeast Asia. She has worked on the development of public spaces and public spheres in Hanoi, Vietnam (Sandra Kurfürst, 2012. Redefining Public Space in Hanoi. Places, Practices and Meaning. Zürich: LIT). Her current research focuses on urban gardening in Vietnam, Hong Kong and Indonesia as well as on Hip Hop in Vietnam.