Teddy Cruz, who has a Master in Design from Harvard University, is a Professor of Public Culture and Urbanization in the Department of Visual Arts at the University of California, San Diego. Together with his partner Fonna Forman, they are principals in the Estudio Teddy Cruz + Fonna Forman, a research-based political and architectural practice in San Diego, investigating borders, informal urbanisation, climate resilience, civic infrastructure and public culture. They lead a variety of urban research agendas and civic / public interventions in the San Diego–Tijuana border region and beyond.

Their work has been exhibited in many international venues, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco; the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, New York; Das Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin; M+ Hong Kong, and representing the United States in the 2018 Venice Architectural Biennale.