Maryam is an interdisciplinary researcher in architecture and urban planning whose work examines how sustainability, smart urbanism, and emerging technologies shape the future of spatial planning. She is a PhD candidate in Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Dundee’s Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design (DJCAD). She previously completed her MSc in Sustainability with Distinction at the University of Dundee, where she received a 6000£ Merit Scholarship and served as the degree representative.

Maryam’s research investigates how elements of smartness, including smart buildings, digital twins, algorithmic systems, and integrated infrastructure, are interpreted and deployed across different planning scales, from site to national level. Her work focuses on how spatial planning interventions distribute smart technologies across sectors such as energy, transport, waste management, housing, and city systems, and how scalability can enhance sustainability, resilience, and equity in urban environments.

Her methodological approach combines grounded theory, document analysis, expert interviews, focus groups, and quantitative analytics. She integrates digital tools such as digital twin modelling, correlation analysis, GIS, NVivo, Python, machine learning, and data visualisation, with particular expertise in Python scripting, algorithmic interpretation, and advanced modelling of urban datasets.

Maryam has presented her research internationally, including at the Elsevier Urban Transitions 2024 Conference in Barcelona, where her extended abstract was selected through a competitive review process. She is also the co-author of peer-reviewed research articles on smart planning, sectoral interconnections, and semantic analysis of smartness. In addition, she has been shortlisted for innovative public-engagement initiatives such as the Lantern Workshops with Dundee City Council and Urban ReLeaf.

Beyond her research, Maryam contributes significantly to academic life. She serves as a Satellite Councillor representing researchers across remote sites, an Associate Member of the UNESCO Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science, and a PGR Representative within her school. She also works as a Teaching Assistant on ESG and Environmental Impact Assessment and has led sustainability engagement workshops as the Sustainability and Environment Representative.

With a background of more than five years in architectural practice, including educational roles as a Revit instructor, Maryam’s work bridges design, digital technologies, critical urbanism, and sustainability. Her research aims to inform multi-level planning systems and support the development of scalable, intelligent, and equitable urban futures.

Maryam's research explores the coherence and distribution of "smartness" in spatial planning across various scales, aiming to address multiscalar environmental and sustainability challenges.