Maryam Naghibi is a Postdoctoral Researcher at TU Delft in the Delta Urbanism research program (Redesigning Delta Cities project). Prior to that, she was a lecturer at Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST) and a Young Fellow in the 4TU (The DeSIRE program).
She holds her Ph.D. (2022) from the School of Architecture and Environmental Design, IUST, where she was recognized as a Distinguished Student (2014) and researcher (2021). With a background in Urbanism, landscape architecture, and architecture, her research explores the potential of urban leftover spaces to address climate change, water storage, heat islands, and landscape fragmentation while also reducing social inequalities and revitalizing communities. Maryam employs an inter- and trans-disciplinary approach, combining landscape design, urban public spaces, urban acupuncture, user experiences, multi-scalar and ideas-based design, and temporary interventions to create social-technical-environmental urban resilience.
In her previous research, she explored leftover spaces in the urban landscape context in general and focused on the case study of Tehran, employing various research methods, both quantitative and qualitative. These methods included interviews, surveys, and machine learning algorithms on EEG data to assess the impact of design strategies on leftover spaces.
Through her current research, Maryam aims to contribute to making urban regions more sustainable and equitable, with a particular focus on the challenges faced by delta cities and sponge cities. She is interested in design strategies and landscape elements for transforming urban areas into resilient delta sites, based on user preferences and perceptions.
Her research has been published among others, in Cities, Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, Building Engineering, Urban Design International, Landscape Architecture and Art, Urbani izziv, and several conference proceedings. She is also a mentor for Bachelor and MSc graduation projects.
Additionally, she serves as an Associate Editor for the International Journal of Architectural Engineering & Urban Planning (IJAUP) and as a reviewer for several international journals. Besides her academic career, she has practiced architecture and landscape architecture as an individual and associate architect, working on interdisciplinary projects at both small and large urban scales.