Born in Atlanta to Thai and Indonesian immigrants, Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya studied neuroscience at Columbia University and worked at an Alzheimer’s research lab before becoming a full-time artist, educator, and advocate based in Brooklyn, NY. Her explorations of feminism, science, and community have reclaimed space in museums and galleries, at protests and rallies, on buildings, highway tunnels, and subway corridors, as well as on the main stage of two TED conferences. In 2020-2021, she was artist-in-residence with the NYC Commission on Human Rights and her work has been acquired into the permanent collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum & the Library of Congress.

The Heising-Simons Foundation’s Science program has supported Ms. Phingbodhipakkiya’s FINDINGS Project through several Direct Charitable Activities (DCAs) totaling $715,800. FINDINGS is a public art series highlighting the innovative research contributions of women in the fields of physics, astronomy, and climate change. Working with renowned scientists from across the country, these large-scale murals explore dark matter, climate change, condensed matter physics, and exoplanet science. The murals, which are being created in partnership with local youth programs, have appeared in Brooklyn, Washington D.C., Silicon Valley, Oakland, Seattle, Denver and Albuquerque, and are set to appear in several more U.S. cities. The series includes a free augmented-reality mobile app, allowing visitors to have a deeper experience, seeing 3D animations and learning additional context on the science behind the art.