Born in Lagos Nigeria; He had his bachelor degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Nigeria. He has being working as an Urban Planner ever since he graduated.  He is experienced both in the civil service and private practice, as a Researcher, Urban Designer and Technical Report Writer. The diversity of Urban and Rural environment, the phenomenon of global inequality has being the push factor for his seeking knowledge capable of handling and dealing with the issues of urban problem and management.

I am an architect. I have been working the six past years at the city planning office in Quito, my home town. There I was leading a group of 6 architects at the project department. At the department we have worked in: urban-arquitectural design projects (transport stations or community center), urban design projects (public space, parks, squares and also the urban area near the new airport), land use plans (for the new airport surrounding region), strategic plans (Bikerouts system plan, Green areas system plan). I have also keen working at PUCE (Catholic University), my alma matter, teaching basic design at the architecture department.

A Peruvian architect of chinese descent graduated from Ricardo Palma University in Lima. He did master studies in Renewal energies, sustainable architecture and urbanism in Universidad Internacional de Andalucía in Spain. Professor of Urban Design, Human Settlements and Design workshop at Ricardo Palma University and Sustainability in Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú along with his private architectural practice. He presented his researches in international conferences. José looks forward to applying his work experience into the context of urban planning and sustainable development.

After completing a Master of Architecture in 2007 at the Georgia (GA) Institute of Technology in Atlanta, GA, USA, Janae Futrell has been gaining experience in the fields of environmental building design, architecture, and master planning.  She has contributed to projects in the Netherlands, China, South Korea, the UAE, and the USA.  Futrell’s undergraduate degrees include a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design.  Urban Mobility: Transference and Atlanta’s Transit, her published master’s thesis, shaped her interest in the linkage between effective mass transit strategies and an improved quality of life.  Continuing her post-graduate studies at the TU-Darmstadt will broaden the scope of her knowledge to urban planning in an international context. 

Carolina Guimaraes is a proud energetic Brazilian  with an extensive international background. She has had the opportunity to live in various places around the world ( New Zealand, US, Mexico, Canada and Brazil), which have changed and broadened her perspective on various contentious issues such as poverty and economic development. She has a degree in Economics and Political Science  from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, where she lived for the past seven years. There she had the opportunity to explore various of her interest, however it became clear after her first post graduate job (as an International Trade Analyst) that sustainable development was her life carreer focus/dream. She worked for the past year  as a Sustainability Coordinator for the University of British Columbia student society (40,000 students) implementing a strategy  to decrease the ecological footprint of students, faculty and employees in the university campus. Mundus Urbano bridges the gap between her previous  work and academic experiences and her future goals. Thus, she feels confident this master degree will be very enriching to support her as a future socially engaged professional.  

Jacob Hemmerick earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Master of Public Administration from the University of Dayton in the US state of Ohio.  He has particular interest in city government, administration and planning.  Jacob is also interested in social, economic and environmentaljustice issues.  In his professional life he has worked as a Neighborhood Fellow, a real estate legal Practice Group Assistant, and most recently as the Assistant Director of International Admission at his Alma Mater.  He has done international volunteer work in India (as a Teaching Assistant and English Tutor), Guatemala (as a laborer for a fair trade coffee cooperative), and Cameroon (where he served as a staff leader for a cultural and service immersion).  With Mundus Urbano, Jacob looks forward to a productive and challenging career in urban development.

Graduated with honor from the University of Architecture of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Chau Huynh worked as an architect associate for an international architectural corporation. Having been worked for 2,5 years, she contributed to various project scales ranging from urban master planning to housing. Two of the main projects that she worked are the urban planning projects for the 220ha new development in South of Hochiminh City and the 3,600ha Hiep Phuoc port urban area in which she cooperated with Haskoll firm from UK. Recognizing the surged urbanization in Vietnam and the need of improving professional knowledge about urban studies, Chau took the Master course of International Cooperation and Urban Development in TU Darmstadt, Germany. With a passion for urban development, Chau hopes that she can pursue her dream of improving people’s living conditions. 

LIM Hui Ling is an urban thinker from Malaysia with a background in European Studies and Political Science from the National University of Singapore and the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris. Before joining the Mundus Urbano Masters programme, she worked at the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore in the Conservation and Urban Design Group, reviewing planning policies in relation to development proposals and public feedback. She has also worked as a journalist with the Singapore Press Holdings. She intends to transfer her work experience to international cooperation projects in future, with a special focus on more inclusive, participatory planning processes. Her research interest is in promotion of urban heritage and cultures and issues of urban poverty.

I was born and grew up in Moshi-Kilimanjaro region, a north east part of Tanzania. I got my first degree Bsc. (Hons.) in Urban and Regional Planning from University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania in 2004. Since 2005 I have been working as an Urban Planner in Moshi Municipality heading Urban Planning Section. I have worked extensively in Settlement Upgrading, Land use Planning Management and Conflicts Resolution, Community Infrastructure provision, Preparation of Strategic Urban Development Plans. In 2008 I gained a Diploma of Environmental Management from TU Dresden in Germany. My main interest to acquire competencies to work with or for developers on Development Planning especially in International Cooperation Economics to manage and steer Urban Development.

Lorena Melgaço comes from Belo Horizonte, Brazil and has lived in Nowra, Australia and Weimar, Germany. She has a bachelor degree in Architecture and Urban Planning from the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil. Lorena is an aspiring urban researcher and has participated in projects focusing on the use of low technology to introduce architectural concepts to future residents of social housing projects in order to provide them with discussion tools. In addition, she has worked to promote the use of local art as means to community development. Lorena comes from a large family and has been strongly influenced by her father, a lifelong human rights activist.

Regina studied architecture in Guadalajara, Mexico. She has work experience in Venezuela and Mexico within the fields of public space recovery, strategic planning and sustainable urban mobility. Her work was significantly influenced by her experience in Caracas’ slums with the San Agustin MetroCable project. She is part of CITA, a non-profit based in Guadalajara, and has worked in the organization of the International Architecture forum COM:PLOT. Regina aspires to become an International Urban Consultant

Rossana has born in Lima, Peru and she is an architect with professional experience in urban environment, informal settlements, housing, urban planning and land administration. After her Architecture studies in Lima, she had work in Cofopri as World Bank Junior Consultant providing technical assistance for the formalisation of properties in the Informal settlements in Peru. While working, also studied a Master in Urban Renewal and was member of Polis Group in Peru, Architects without Borders and Habitat International Coalition. Due to her interest in informal settlements, she got the opportunity to work in South Africa with the NGO Development Action Group providing better living conditions for vulnerable communities. Back in Peru she has work as Consultant in different Municipal Development Plans. Then she had the opportunity to work in Kosovo with the United Nations supporting the Kosovo Cadastral Agency and Property Rights issues. Last year had the pleasure to go back to Peru and rediscover how fast the cities are developing and transforming. This new framework happened while she was supporting the implementation of the Housing Subsidy Scheme through Techo Propio (Own Roof) Social  Programe designed by the Ministry of Housing and Construction in Peru. All that work experience in transition countries and at all levels made her understand the importance of participative process in the urban development implementation plans and policies.Rossana is a city lover and after her wonderful experience of life through different countries, cities, cultures and professional experience wish to rethink the urban question and the way how to reach a better urban environment in equal way for everyone.

Fazlur Rahman

I have worked in different development projects for five years before starting Mundus Urbano program. My major work areas include Urban Transport Planning, Transport Infrastructure Investment, Traffic Modeling, Social Assessment for infrastructure projects, Policy and Planning for Transport Sub-sectors, Land use Planning, Disaster Management, Institution Development, Low-income Housing, Urban Governance and GIS. I have completed Bachelor of Urban and Rural Planning Degree from Khulna University, Bangladesh. Before starting this program I was working in Bangladesh with WSP Imc as a Transport Planner. I believe Mundus Urbano program will help me to acquire the versatility needed to reach my full potential as an Urban Planning professional with solid theoretical background and a strong real world experience specialized in urban development strategies, urban management, sustainable urban infrastructure planning and international cooperation. After completing this degree, I want to work for sustainable urban development in developing countries to create better and more just society.

I received my training as an architect from a design institute in India. For me the process of learning design was more based on my ‘understanding of relation between human life and varied attributes and aspects of built and non-built environment’, which I always seek to enhance through research and studies. For me to be a part of Mundus Urbano program was ‘not just to enlarge my scope of employment but more an opportunity towards advanced learning of varied issues related to urban development’. I strongly believe in all the aspects of life connected to and rooted in understanding and interpreting knowledge as a value and goal.

I am an architect with a masters degree in Urban and Rural planning from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, India. Slums - a reality of today's urban world- form the core of my research interest. I have first hand experience in conducting household surveys in the slums of Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh and Calcutta. My previous work experience has given me a sound grounding to project management. However, I would like to further develop such skill in order to conduct high quality research in urban planning with informal dwellings as a central focus. I strongly believe that this masters course will offer me a vibrant context for stimulating research, discussion and understanding of urban issues with a global perspective.

Born in 1984, I grew up in Piracicaba, a mid-size Brazilian city located in the state of São Paulo, and studied Architecture and Urban Planning in the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) from 2002 until 2007. After graduating in Brazil, I decided to expand my international experience and spent 10 months in France doing the Master 'Urbanism, Habitat and International Cooperation' in the Institut d’Urbanisme de Grenoble. During my college years I wrote a project to analyse whether adaptability design principles incorporated in low-income housing could be a strategy of sustainability and received a two-year scholarship from the Brazilian Government Funding Agency (CNPq) to undertake this Project. Since then, I have been focusing my professional interests in finding ways to improve living conditions for the poorest inhabitants in Brazil. I am confident that the Mundus Urbano program is key to helping me achieve these goals.

My name is Sae Min Shim from Incheon, located 28 km from the capital of the Republic of Korea, Seoul. My educational background is in Architecture and in 2007, I started my Master’s degree at Sogang Graduate School of International Studies, specializing in International Relations in Seoul, where I am currently on academic hiatus. My professional experience is rather diverse; from architectural companies where I got involved in New Town development projects in Korea and a CBD development project including 60-story Financial Tower in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to Clinton Climate Initiative of Clinton Foundation, an international NGO, where I worked as a program assistant to help the Seoul City Government to develop its climate-friendly policies and the Positive Urban Development Project. My strong belief that international development projects can be highly effective and fruitful if they are planned and executed on the city level led me to participate in the Mundus Urbano. My research interest is; a) African cities on the perspective of economic growth, b) Cities working together to tackle on global issues, such as Climate Change, Food Crisis, and so on.

My name is Kari Smith; I am originally from the state of Arizona in the United States and have most recently been living and working in Baltimore, Maryland, a city of about 640,000 inhabitants about 50 kilometers from Washington, DC. My education is in Business Management and my work experience is in non-profit program development and administration. My most recent experience was at a local non-profit focused on urban agriculture, public parks, urban and community forestry, and schoolyard and public housing greening in Baltimore City. I am interested in learning more about urban informality and hope to focus my future work on galvanizing and utilizing the informal and unconventional in urban development and management.  

Graduated in 2008 as a Civil Engineer with a minor degree on Architectural Culture, I always seek for enriching my knowledge on spatial and social relations to be able to distinguish and act for positive change.
During my college studies I have worked in cooperation with many youth NGOs attending and organizing exchanges and intensive educational modules for peer-groups. The topics cover intercultural and inter-religious dialogue, active participation in the society, human rights and education. 
Becoming more aware of the multi-dimensional context of development, after my graduation I volunteered/interned in NGOs and institutions whose work related both societal and environmental problems. I see Mundus Urbano program as an opportunity to expand my knowledge and understanding of urban dynamics to be able to work on development in different locations and contexts.

I was born in Costa Rica, but it was through traveling that I have discovered other ways of living, of moving, of meeting, of building; contrasting landscapes, unimaginable exchanges. This is what inspired me to study architecture. I grew up in San José and recently obtained my degree in Architecture and Urbanism at Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica. During my last years of studies I did research in Urban Art, Public Spaces and their potential to improve quality of life for the citizens.  I believe that the International Cooperation and Urban development program recognizes the reality of a globalized, unequal, diverse and dense world. I am eager to learn under this premise and, more important, to apply and communicate the acquired knowledge on research and design from academic, governmental or private platforms.

Alma is an architect from Sarajevo, graduated at the Sarajevo University School of Architecture, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the summer of 2005. Has been passionate about studying architecture and design since her first wonders about profession as a youngster. She used every opportunity to pursue improvements, to gain even more knowledge and experience, channeling and enhancing professional career as well as satisfying the creative aspects of her personality. Always available to interact and share knowledge with other professionals in the field who are as focused and excited about architecture and urban design. Wholeheartedly wishes to contribute to the overall growth and progress of architecture and design at large, hoping to bring a positive influence on how architecture shapes our communities. A strong interest in architecture has compelled her to become very perceptive of the complex relationship between human beings, environment and the expansion technologies. She started her carrier with an industry design studio at the furniture design department and after that she worked at several architectural & design studios as an architect.

I am an architect from Colombia specialized in the matter of Regional and Urban Planning. Specific education in planning and Management for conservation of historical urban centers. The experience accumulated during my professional exercise feeding by permanent updating in the field of urban planning and development have allowed me to focus my academic production through the design of public policies oriented to improve urban environments and sustainable growth of cities in developing countries, using Colombian cities and regions as research topics. In this matter, as private consultant my field of work has been oriented through the conservation of heritage urban centers by the valuation of special real statements for conservation and architectonic preservation. Moreover, since 2007 until September 2009 I was involved, as a researcher and teacher, in La Salle University in Bogotá, Colombia. My expectations once I finished this master program are to obtain proper knowledge and abilities to formulate, design and evaluate research and planning urban projects in participative scenarios, promoting social development and urban-regional ordering.

Raised in Winnipeg, Canada by a family of medical professionals, Alexander White (aka Ziggy) developed a strong interest in how the built environment affects public health, especially in the field of water and sanitation.  After completing his studies in Biological and Environmental Engineering at Cornell University (USA, 2005) he worked as a Civil Engineering Consultant at an international firm in Seattle, USA, specialising in the area of Hydrology and Low Impact Development. He supplemented this experience with additional project work in South Africa, Ghana and the UK. By participating in the MUNDUS URBANO course, Alexander is excited to gain a better understanding of the urban development process, as a whole, and complement his Engineering background by specialising in Development Economics at Tor Vergata to better manage infrastructure development projects in the future.

I am from Brazil, city of Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais. I have a law degree and a specialization course on Constitutional law, had focusing my studies on Human Rights and democracy, strongly interested in Latin America issues. For one year I was an attorney in Ouro Preto´s City Hall, where I worked with public private partnerships, especially with NGO´s, and also cities´ consortiums for public services. For the last 3 years I was living in Curitiba, where I worked as a consultant on public and administrative law. This master course on “International Cooperation and Urban Development” will contribute to my understanding of the city administration´s complexity and the challenges for development from a interdisciplinary perspective, also the international environment provides the opportunity to develop the necessary skills to work on cooperation projects worldwide, what is an ultimate personal goal.

Benjamin Mukiibi has over 4 years experience in developing country work at policy, programme and project levels. He is interested in  understanding how urban changes are witnessed, and approaches needed to ensure sound and effective urban environmental management.