Feel free to reach out for questions, collaborations, and/or supervision, or if you are interested in playing chess ;)
In 2007, I finished an International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) degree from Cambridge University.
In 2012, I completed a Bachelor of Science in Architecture Engineering from Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt. During the last two years of my undergraduate studies, I specialized in Urban Planning and Design, and I was ranked as the top student in my class. At graduation, I was awarded the 'Ideal Student Award'.
In 2015, I finished a Master of Science in Integrated Urbanism and Sustainable Design (IUSD) from Stuttgart University in Germany with a double degree from Ain Shams University. My master's thesis focused on urban policies, where I linked urban studies with political science, urban governance, and management sciences to explore how urban policy making and policy implementation interrelate.
In 2021, I completed a Ph.D. from the faculty of Planning Building Environment at the Technische Universität Berlin (TU Berlin) in Germany. In my dissertation, I developed a cumulative, grounded theory on the spatio-visual co-constructions of cities—the process by which cities in the digitalized and mediatized world become a question of social and spatial justice. I achieved a summa cum lade (highest distinction) with my dissertation. My thesis was part of a third party funded project by Leibniz Association.
Connecting the dots, I am a multipotentialite working at the crossroads and intersections of diverse disciplines. My work generally aims at inspiring sustainable and equitable urban futures. I achieve this by attempting to link three knowledge domains: (1) technology, urban AI, and smart cities; (2) environment, sustainability, and climate mitigation; and (3) feminist and critical urban geography. I am keen to intersect these three fields with other themes such as sustainability management, startup incubation, consultation, fundraising, research, and innovation.
My vision is to be an inspiring professor and knowledge producer who is well-connected with policy, practice, and local communities. I seek to produce beneficial and applied knowledge (علم النافع) that makes our cities and societies more equitable and sustainable.
Scope of work
#interdisciplinary #smartcities #digitalization #innovation #digital #startups #housing #visualization #urban_AI #design #urbanpolicy #computational_planning #sustainability #equity #urban studies, #media_and_communication, #socio-legal studies, #STS, #social_power_theories, #non-linear_space_theories, #critical urban theories such as the #Actor-Network-Theory.
In terms of methods, I employ mixed methods, critical spatio-visual methodologies, comparative cross-border approaches, visual ethnography, autoethnography, and participatory action research for practice enhancement, policy formation, and theory-building.
Connecting the dots
This diagram represents how my work connects across Spatial, Computational, and Socio-Political dimensions, with Smart Cities and Socio-Technical Systems at the core.
I would like to thank Shreeya Kokate for her technical support in setting up the initial version of this website.