May is Research Fellow in Architecture at the University of Leeds. She is working on a project in Jordan that focuses on the creative economies through youth-led Arts and Craft. She has held several academic posts in several international schools of Architecture in the MENA region and the UK.

May's PhD from the University of Manchester focuses on understanding the politics of technical decision-making in the World Heritage sites to unpack the tensions and conflicts on the different policy levels.

She worked with Mela Social Enterprise as an Associate Research Consultant focusing on raising the awareness of public about Historic England’s heritage values and how it can be reflected on their understanding of the identity of the place.

Areas of expertise are Heritage Governance- Urban Heritage conservation- Public engagement and community participation- Environmental Psychology.

Alex is the co-founder of The Human Restoration Project, an international active permaculture designer and teacher, an experienced community development worker and a recent MA Landscape Architect graduate.  As someone living with ADHD, Alex work is based on the desire to find simplicity in complexity and create meaningful connections. She uses a panoply of embodied tools to aid her work, including systemic mapping and natural movement. She is currently supporting the creation and shaping of community and commercially focused projects in the UK, France and Ghana.   

Mizan is a researcher in neuroaesthetics, supported by an interdisciplinary background in the geohumanities and architecture. Working at the intersection of positive psychology and spatial design, she is passionate about linking mental health and environments as drivers of subjective wellbeing. Her intersectoral and international experience includes Project Architect and Senior Lecturer in South Africa; PhD (History) and Erasmus Mundus Scholar in Spain; and current MSCA-Postdoctoral Fellow in Austria, where she is investigating how the aesthetics of arts & culture spaces in urban settings facilitate individuals’ affective and cognitive dimensions for quality of life.

Noha is an urban designer, academic and social entrepreneur. She is the founding Director of MELA Social Enterprise on a mission to design inclusive public spaces. Noha is a Council of Europe Intercultural Cities Expert in Public Space and Fellow of the RSA. She co-edits the Journal, Urban Design International and is the author of the award-winning book ‘Bridging Cultures: the guide to social innovation in cosmopolitan cities’ (2015)

Katie is a Director of Place Studio, a small planning and urban design consultancy based in Bristol. Over the last ten years, she and her team at Place Studio have been working to place community engagement at the heart of planning and design processes.  Katie has worked with a wide range of organisations, from developers to local authorities, to parish and town councils and charities such as Rural Community Councils and Planning Aid Wales.

Kate is Senior Co-Design Lead at Policy Lab UK. Kate works on projects across government to reimagine policymaking using people-centred design approaches. Her PhD research focused on co-design for the built environment, developing community-led urban developments. Kate was Creative Director for Interface, a global leader in sustainable floor coverings and Programme Leader at Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton. She lectures at conferences and universities around the world, sharing her passion for co-design.