Merate Barakat, AIA

is an architect with international experience, media designer, and academic researcher. Recently, she has defended her thesis in which she explores her main research interest, urban acoustics, as a Ph.D. candidate at the Architectural Association (AA) school. Merate has worked for PMA (Prescott Muir Architects), based in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she worked on numerous projects that have received design awards by the AIA (American Institute of Architects). While she was working on her dissertation, she completed the NCARB requirements and became a member of the AIA as a licensed architect. She is also licensed to work as an Architect in Egypt and the Middle East. Merate has received an M.Arch from the University of Utah in 2006, where she worked as research assistance at the CROMDI lab. She also holds an M.Sc. in Computer Science and Information Technology from the University of Nottingham, obtained in 2003. Her B.Sc. thesis conducted at the Arab Academy of Science in Technology, Alexandria - Egypt Campus, received an AbuGad award for merit.
In tandem with her research, Merate initiated the AA Alexandria Visiting School, a workshop in collaboration with the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. The University of Utah, College of Architecture and planning offered her an Associate Instructor position during her last two years where she intermittently teaches an M.Arch session studio. Both the workshop and the M.Arch studio are set up with a focus of generative and responsive sound based designs.