Phu Hoang and Rachely Rotem have led MODU since its founding in 2012. They were awarded the 2017 Founders Rome Prize in Architecture, since 1897 an annual prize to those ”who represent the highest standards of excellence in the arts and humanities.”  Recently, they have also been awarded the Emerging Voices award from the Architectural League of New York (2019) and the US-Japan Creative Artists fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts (2018).

 Phu holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta and a Master of Architecture degree from Columbia University in New York.

Since 2011, he has taught at the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University. Phu is a fellow of the American Academy in Rome, a council Co-chair of its Society of Fellows, and a licensed architect in the states of New York and Connecticut.

Rachely holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree (Cum Laude) from Technion in Haifa and a Master in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University, where she was awarded both the Lowenfish Memorial Prize and the William Kinne Fellows Traveling Prize. She currently teaches at RISD and most recently at Syracuse University. Rachely is a fellow of the American Academy in Rome, a licensed architect in Israel, and a LEED Accredited Professional in Building Design and Construction.