Zahra Alinam

She is an urban designer and architect, holding a bachelor's degree in Architecture (2011), a master's degree in Urban Design (2014), and a Ph.D. in Urbanism (2021) from Tabriz Islamic Art University, Iran. She was ranked first in all three programs and was a member of the University's Exceptional Talents Department. The four-year undergraduate program in Architecture formed the foundation for her commitment to achieving in-depth knowledge in research and design, further expanded during her two-year graduate program in Urban Design.While working on her master's thesis, she developed a strong interest in the psychological structures that influence human behavior in the environment. Her thesis explored interdisciplinary themes between Urban Design and Environmental Psychology, applying a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methodsskills that later supported her in writing research papers for journals and conferences. Her growing passion for research led her to pursue a Ph.D. in Urbanism, during which she investigated the relationship between environmental structure, conceptual construal of space, language, and cultural transmission through an original experimental approach utilizing virtual reality.During her Ph.D. (2015-2021), she was awarded the Seed Fund by the Interacting Minds Center (IMC) at Aarhus University, Denmark, where she served as a visiting researcher (2018-2019). At Aarhus University, she worked with Professor Kristian Tylén in the Cognitive and Behavioral Lab on experimental studies concerning human-environment interactions. She later became a visiting scholar at Tufts University, USA (2024), contributing to research on cognitive urbanism under the guidance of Professor Justin Hollander. During this period, she also collaborated with Professors Gideon Spanjar and Frank Suurenbroek from the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, The Netherlands, on studies examining the impact of green infrastructure on well-being.She has authored several articles published in prestigious journals and has presented her work at international conferences, focusing on topics such as the cognitive route to spatial behaviors, the cultural route to the conceptualization of space, and affording urban qualities to urban spaces.Currently, she is a postdoctoral associate funded by FAPESP at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil (2023-2025), where she is a member of the CEUCI research team. Her research builds on her previous work by examining the intersection of urban and ecological systems to enhance placemaking and environmental resilience in innovation districts, using biometric tools such as eye-tracking and geospatial analytics to assess the role of small green spaces like pocket parks. At UNICAMP, she collaborates with Professor Gabriela Celani on projects analyzing user perceptions in knowledge districts.Throughout her academic journey, she has engaged in interdisciplinary projects focusing on placemaking, landscape design, and cognitive urbanism. Her work combines data collection techniquessuch as eye-tracking, virtual reality experiments, and field surveyswith robust analytical approaches, consistently aiming to develop more inclusive, resilient, and human-centered urban environments. She also has over seven years of experience teaching Urban Design and Architecture in Iran, Brazil, the USA, and Denmark, emphasizing climate resilience, ecological issues, and social equity. (Source: Lattes Curriculum)