Fatma Mhmood is an architect, urban designer, and researcher from the United Arab Emirates. Her interest lies at the intersection of rapid urbanization, desert landscapes, gender, and postcolonial studies. She is currently pursuing her PhD in architecture at the University of Cambridge.

 

Fatma holds a Master in Design studies with a concentration in Urbanism, Landscape and Ecology from Harvard University. Her work explored the intersection of urbanization and desert ecologies in the Gulf region, focusing on how design can mediate between cultural values, aesthetics, and the environment to arrive at better forms of ecologically-supportive development. She also worked as a research assistant at the Office For Urbanization and the Critical Landscapes Lab at Harvard Graduate School of Design.

 

Fatma also holds a Master in Architecture and Urban Design (MSAUD) from Columbia University where she worked on multiscalar design projects that link cities, ecosystems, and infrastructure. During her time in New York City, she practiced as an architectural associate at Latent Productions where she worked on the renovation of Greylock Works.

 

Prior to her time in the United States, Fatma worked as a client architect at Emaar Properties in Dubai engaging in multi-scalar design projects. She obtained a Bachelor of Architecture (BArch) from the American University of Sharjah, and worked as an intern architect at Dominique Perrault Architecture in Paris on the project Urban Development of the "Quartier de L'etang." Having the experience of working and studying in different cities has taught Fatma to critically think about urban and design challenges while considering different climatic, social, and geographic conditions.