Louis A. Merlin, PhD, AICP, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at Florida Atlantic University and the program coordinator for the Master of Urban and Regional Planning program. Dr. Merlin draws upon a strong background in Mathematics and Operations Research and experience as a professional urban planner.
Dr. Merlin’s current research concerns how to better integrate transportation and land use planning through the development of accessibility-based performance measures and tools, as well as improved methods for analyzing pedestrian travel patterns and travel needs.

On November 12th, Louis gave the lecture 'Planning for human-scale cities' at our faculty

​Jodi Sturge is an assistant professor in Interaction Design with the Department of Design, Production and Management in the Faculty of Engineering Technology at the University of Twente. Jodi’s research is inspired by health geography and design research. Her mixed-method research focuses on mobility, human building interaction and well-being to inform the design of healthcare facilities, home environments and other social infrastructure. Jodi has experience with co-design, evidence-based design and citizen science projects to improve public health, healthcare services and community outcomes in the Netherlands, Canada and South Africa. She has extensive experience working on interdisciplinary, international research projects in Australia, Canada, Germany and Sweden.

On October 17th, Jodi gave the lecture 'Healthcare transformation with design research' at our faculty

Amit Srivastava is Director (India) for the Centre of Asian and Middle Eastern Architecture (CAMEA) based at the University of Adelaide, Australia. Having trained and practiced as an architect in India, his primary research focuses on the architectural and construction histories of colonial and postcolonial India. His 2015 book, India: Modern Architectures in History with co-author Peter Scriver, published by University of Chicago Press, offers the long history of architectural modernity in India, from its beginnings in the colonial modern enterprise of the British PWD to the late twentieth century struggles with post-colonial identities. While his current research examines the transnational exchange of materials, skills, and construction processes across the Indian Ocean region, spanning across Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Australia, with a particular interest in South-South cooperation.

On October 17th, Amit gave the lecture 'South-South Cooperation in Construction' at our faculty

Yujie Zhu is an Associate Professor at the Centre for Heritage and Museum Studies at the Australian National University in Australia. He is currently a visiting fellow at Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany. Yujie earned his PhD in anthropology from Heidelberg University in Germany. His research focuses on the cultural politics of the past within various heritage and memory spaces. He is the author and editor of 8 books, including the recent monograph China’s Heritage through History (2024), Heritage Tourism (2021), and the recent edited collection Heritage, Conflict, and Peace-Building (2024). Yujie served as the vice-president of the Association of Critical Heritage Studies from 2014 to 2020 and is an expert member of the ICH Committee of ICOMOS.

On November 25th, Yujie gave the lecture 'Rethinking Heritage as Public Education: Challenges and Possibilities' at our faculty