Staff (1999 - 2021)

Note: The biographies below are arranged according to the period during which the staff members were affiliated with CSBE, and apply to the staff members at the time of their affiliation with CSBE,.

Mohammad al-Asad is an architect and urbanist, as well as an architectural and urban historian. He is the Founding Director of the Center for the Study of the Built Environment in Amman (CSBE; www.csbe.org), an independent private, non-profit think / do tank that was established in 1999.

He studied architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and history of architecture at Harvard University before taking on post-doctoral research positions at Harvard and at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. He taught at Harvard, Princeton University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Jordan, the German Jordanian University, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he was the Alan K. and Leonarda Laing Distinguished Visiting Professor. He was also an adjunct professor at Carleton University in Ottawa. In addition, he has taught a series of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) in both Arabic and English on architecture and urbanism for the Edraak Platform of the Queen Rania Foundation for Education and Development, and for the Aga Khan Trust for Culture Education Program.

He has published extensively in both Arabic and English on architecture and urbanism. He is the author of Contemporary Architecture and Urbanism in the Middle East (2012). He also co-edited (with Rahul Mehrotra) Shaping Cities: Emerging Models of Planning Practice (2016), and edited Workplaces: The Transformation of Places of Production: Industrial Buildings in the Islamic World (2010). In addition, he is a contributor to the 21st edition of Sir Banister Fletcher’s A History of Architecture (2019), the first edition of which had appeared in 1896.

Al-Asad has appeared in documentary films including Islamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World (2012) and The Architecture of the Mosque of the Prophet (2023), and he also led the production of films including Arab Women in Architecture (2014).

He is a member of the board of directors of the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts (part of the Royal Society for Fine Arts). He also had served as the Coordinator of the International Academic and Curatorial Committee for the Discover Islamic Art project of the Museum With No Frontiers, and was a member of the Amman Commission, which served as an advisory body for the Mayor of Amman.

Al-Asad was a project reviewer for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture between 1989 and 2007, and he has been a member of the Award's Steering Committee for its 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2019 cycles.

Lara Zureikat is one of the leading designers in the field of landscape architecture in the Middle East and the Associate Director of CSBE. She holds a Master of Landscape Architecture (M.L.A.) from the University of California at Berkeley and a Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) from the University of Notre Dame in the United States. Lara’s work at CSBE has focused on the design of native, water-conserving landscapes. She accordingly designed the first model water-conserving park in Jordan, the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts Park, and led an extensive public resource and publication program promoting the use of drought-tolerant flora in landscape design. Lara has also collaborated with local and international architecture firms on notable institutional and urban projects such as the Palestinian Museum in Bir Zeit, the Amman Master Plan, and the Destination Hotel in al-‘Ula, Saudi Arabia. Lara received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2019 for her work on the Palestinian Museum. In addition, her work has been published in several magazines including Architectural Digest, Architectural Review, Hauser, and Wallpaper*.e.

Zaid Wahbeh is an a Research and Coordination Officer at CSBE. He received his bachelor's degree in Architecture from the German Jordanian University, and participated in a one-year exchange program in Germany where he studied at Bochum University of Applied Sciences. Zaid has completed architectural internships at HDR TMK in Düsseldorf and at Tha'er Quba Consultants in Amman.

Taleen Samawi is a Research and Coordination Officer at CSBE. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Architecture from the German Jordanian University. Taleen participated in a one-year exchange program in Germany where she studied at the Peter Behrens School of Art in Dusseldorf. She has completed architectural internships at Lepel und Lepel in Cologne, Paradigm Design House, and Tha'er Quba Consultants in Amman.

Sama Gaith is a Research and Coordination Officer at CSBE. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Architecture from the German Jordanian University, and participated in a one-year exchange program in Germany where she studied at Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences. Sama has completed architectural internships at HDR TMK in Stuttgart and at Sameer Amareen Architects in Amman.

Touma Hamarneh is a Research and Coordination officer at CSBE. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Architecture from the German Jordanian University. Touma participated in various programs relating to the youth, refugees, and women empowerment.

Reef Qubailat is a Research and Coordination Officer at CSBE. She received her bachelor's degree in Architecture from the German Jordanian University, and completed architectural internships at HDR TMK in Düsseldorf and at Tha'er Quba Consultants in Amman.

Ali Attari is a Research and Coordination Manager at CSBE. Ali received his bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science & Management from the University of California, Davis in 2013. Since then, he has worked on preparing environmental assessments and other environmental documentation as part of the USAID Water Reuse and Environmental Conservation Project.

Afnan Barqawi is a Research and Coordination Officer at CSBE. She holds a bachelor's degree in Architecture from the German Jordanian University, and a master's degree in Project Management/Engineering Management from the University of Jordan. She is also a horse-back rider and a member of the Jordanian National Show Jumping Team.

Yasmine Abuzeid is a Research and Coordination Officer at CSBE. She received her bachelor’s degree in Interior Architecture and Design from the George Washington University in 2016. Yasmine has completed internships in Jordan and Washington D.C. She has also been involved in volunteer projects in Jordan, Ghana, Gambia, and the United States.

Zein Abu Hassan is a Research and Coordination Officer at CSBE. She received her bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Jordan in 2016, and had completed before that internships at the Consolidated Consultants and Bilal Hammad Architects in Amman. She was awarded in 2011 the European Council of International School's (ECIS) Award for International Understanding, and the Queen Rania Outstanding UK Learners Award.

Sandy Naffa is a Research and Coordination Officer at CSBE. She received her bachelor's degree in Architectural Engineering from the University of Jordan in 2012. She worked in a number of architectural firms in Amman, and also spent time in India, Romania, and Tunisia, where she volunteered with various NGOs and worked in the real estate as well as interior design sectors.

Tooma Zaghloul is a Research and Coordination Officer at CSBE. He received his bachelor’s degree in Architectural Engineering from the Hashemite University in 2013, and also completed an internship at CSBE.

Samia Kayyali is a Research and Coordination Consultant at CSBE. She received her bachelor's degree in the History of Art and Architecture with a minor in Anthropology from Harvard University in 2015.

Haneen Dajani is a Research and Coordination Officer at CSBE. She received her honours bachelor’s degree in Urban Planning with a specialization in Urban Design (co-op program) and a minor in Geography and Environmental management from the University of Waterloo, Canada in 2013. She also completed a postgraduate diploma in Events Management from the Swiss Hotel Management School, Switzerland in 2014.

Farah Tell is a a Research and Coordination Officer at CSBE. She received her bachelor’s degree in Landscape Design and Ecosystem Management and a diploma of agricultural engineering from the American University of Beirut in 2012.

Eman Abukheit is a Research and Coordination Officer at CSBE. She holds a bachelor's degree in interior architecture from the German Jordanian University. She completed an internship at Wulf & Partner - Stuttgart, Germany. She had worked at Naseem Yarvas architectural office as an interior designer. 

Heba Alnajada is a Design and Planning Officer at CSBE. She holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Jordan and a master’s degree in Urban Design from the University of Sheffield, United Kingdom. She completed an internship at the Università della Svizzera Italiana, Switzerland, focusing on low-income housing. She had worked as an architect at Jafaar Tukan Architects, where she was involved in several high end and master-planning projects in Libya and Palestine. She also taught at the University of Jordan.

Ahmad Abu-Khalaf is a Research and Coordination Officer at CSBE. He received his bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Jordan in 2011, and also completed an internship with Maisam Architects & Engineers in Amman.

Nur al-Fayez is a Design and Research Officer at CSBE. Her work at CSBE had included the behavioral mapping of public spaces in Amman and coordinating several CSBE activities. She also had been involved in a number of water-conserving landscaping projects. She holds a bachelor's degree in architecture from the University of Jordan and has completed internship with O2 Designs in Amman.

Joud Khasawneh is a Design and Planning Officer at CSBE. Her work at CSBE had concentrated on projects and research dealing with urban issues as well as green and energy-efficient building technologies. She holds a bachelor's degree in architecture from the Jordan University of Science and Technology and a master's degree in human settlements from the Katholieke Universiteit in Leuven, Belgium, where she also is working on her PhD dissertation in association with CSBE. She worked as an architect at Dar Al Omran Architects, Planners & Engineers, where she was involved in the design of several land-use and master-planning projects in Jordan.

Siba al-Shouli is an Urban Planning Officer at CSBE. She holds a bachelor's degree in architecture from Birzeit University, and a master's degree in urban and regional planning as well as a graduate certificate in public and nonprofit management from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). She worked as an architect in Palestine. She completed internships in Amman with Almarsam Architects and Engineers, which has amalgamated with the Jordan offices of Omrania & Associates to form Omrania-Jordan, and in Ramallah with the Palestinian Ministry of Planning.

Sandra Hiari is a Research and Coordination Officer at CSBE. She holds a bachelor's degree in architecture from the University of Jordan and a master's degree in urban planning from the Jordan University of Science and Technology. She completed architectural internships with Mounir Hajjiri & Associates and Al Hiyari Goussous Architects in Amman. She worked as a junior architect at Sahel Al Hiyari & Partners, where she was the publishing collaborator for the monograph Sahel Al Hiyari Projects.

Basma Abdallah is a Research and Coordination Officer at CSBE. She studied architecture at the University of Jordan after receiving her high school education at the Jubilee School for gifted students. She completed architectural internships with BCR Arquitectos in Girona, Spain, and with Arabtech-Jardaneh, Amman. She also is a guitarist and taught guitar lessons for several years.

Deema Aburizik is a Research and Coordination Officer at CSBE. She also served as a liaison officer between CSBE and Habitat for Humanity - Jordan. She studied architecture at the Jordan University of Science and Technology and the University of Jordan. She completed an architectural internship with STM & Associates in Houston, Texas, and worked as a teaching and coordination assistant for the CSBE Architectural Laboratory - Façade Zero. She was chosen among 22 young Jordanians as a member of the Youth Leadership Program (YLP), which is organized by the United Nations University, the International Leadership Institute, and the King Abdullah II Fund for Development. She headed the publishing of the first YLP newsletter Taghyir (Change) and is the founder of a student program aimed at developing recruitment opportunities for young Jordanians, a project supported by INJAZ: Economic Opportunities for Jordanian Youth and by the Community Service Office in the University of Jordan.

Majd Musa is a Documentation Program Manager and Website Administrator at CSBE. She is the co-editor of the monographs Exploring the Built Environment: Documenting the Presentations of Diwan al-Mimar (Amman: CSBE & Darat al-Funun, 2007) and Architectural Criticism and Journalism: Global Perspective (Turin: Umberto Allemandi & Geneva: The Aga Khan Trust for Culture, 2007). She has authored and co-authored a number of studies and essays on architectural design, sustainable architecture, landscape architecture, and history and theory of architecture. She presented papers at international and regional conferences. She served as a copy-editor for the Discover Islamic Art project, one of the activities of the Museum With No Frontiers (MWNF), a project carried out within the framework of the Euromed Heritage program of the European Union. She practiced architecture in the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.

Nourhan Al Kurdi is a Research Associate at CSBE. She also had served as a Research and Coordination Officer at CSBE in 2002. She studied architecture at the Jordan University of Science and Technology and the University of Jordan, and holds an MBA from the École Supérieure des Affaires (ESA) / ESCP – EAP in Beirut. Her experience has been in architecture, management, planning, social development, and overseeing public-private partnerships in Amman and in Aqaba. More recently, she has been concentrating on issues relating to sustainability, green buildings, and sustainable cities. She has obtained a Renewable Energy Professional (REP) certificate from the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) and a certificate in Sustainability Management from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, and also is a LEED Green Associate. In December 2012, she started writing a series of essays under the heading of Moustadam. These essays, which appear on the CSBE website, address the subject of sustainability in Jordan and the Middle East.

Dalia al-Husseini is a Research and Coordination Officer at CSBE. She holds a bachelor's degree in architecture from the University of Jordan and a master's degree in architecture from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She completed an architectural internship with KEO International Consultants in Kuwait and held a research position at the Building Research Center of the Royal Scientific Society in Amman, where she worked on the Jerusalem Database Project.

Saja Zarqa Jardaneh is a Financial and Administration Officer at CSBE. She holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from John Cabot University in Rome, Italy, and a master's degree in business administration from Boston University. She worked in the Foreign Relations Department at the Housing Bank for Trade and Finance in Amman, and was involved in voluntary work through serving on the financial committee of the Center for Palestinian Culture.

Hania Maraqa is Associate Director and previous Research and Coordination Officer at CSBE. She holds a bachelor's degree in architecture from the University of Jordan, a master's degree in architecture from the University of Arizona at Tucson, and a master's degree in city planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She worked as a junior architect at S. M. Dudin Architects and Engineers. She completed architectural internships with Ziak Akel and Partners in Beirut and with the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation in Boston. She is a member of the American Planning Association (APA) and the Jordan Engineers Association.

Stephen McIlwaine is Director and previous Technical Manager at CSBE. He is an environmental engineer by training. He obtained his PhD in renewable energy from Queen's University Belfast.

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