After studying architecture and geography at the University of Minnesota I pursued my interests in the role of physical community development and historic preservation in contested spaces through research in Nicosia, Cyprus and Belfast, Northern Ireland. Last year, I spent nine months developing a Fulbright research project on aspects of unifying architectural heritage in the historic core of the Cypriot capital. My intention was to help overcome the conventional understanding of the city as two halves by revealing the urban evolution of Nicosia as a single urban entity. I am now in the midst of a masters program in urban design at Queen’s University in Belfast to understand more about the post-conflict regeneration procedure as well as ‘participatory’ or ‘collaborative’ design and planning processes. I am currently an Urban Designer in San Francisco