Malika Leiper is a multidisciplinary designer whose creative practice bridges art, architecture, and urbanism. Born and raised in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Leiper’s upbringing during a period of post-conflict reconstruction and rapid urbanization deeply influenced her focus on cultural conservation and economic transformation through design. As a young adult, she moved to New York to attend Columbia University, where she earned her BA in History and Creative Writing. Upon graduation, she began a five-year career in the culinary arts as a chef at the beloved West Village restaurant Buvette. Recognizing the sociospatial dimension of the city through food, she went on to pursue a Master in Urban Planning degree at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. In 2020, she joined renowned studio Stephen Burks Man Made as Cultural Director and later partner.
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In this role, she has helped launch several key exhibitions, including Stephen Burks: Shelter in Place (High Museum of Art, 2023; Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2024) and Kuba Sugi (Space Un, Tokyo, 2025). Most recently, the studio was selected as part of the collaborative design team for the 2025 US Pavilion, PORCH: An Architecture of Generosity at the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale. Their curatorial contribution Objects of Belonging amplified the porch as a site of creativity and diversity through crafted objects like brooms, baskets, and quilts.

Leiper has also contributed as an author to design publications like The Architect’s Newspaper, Disegno, and Domus, writing on topics such as post-colonial modernism, the decolonization of museum practices, and how design can extend craft traditions into the future.

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