Agricultural University of Tirana, Albania
Honorary Research Fellow, Environmental Design Lab
For 26 years, I have taught Environmental Sciences and Landscape Architecture (10 years part-time and 16 years full-time). My research and experience have provided me with broad knowledge of sustainability, land-use planning, and green space planning, design and management. My main research interests are related to the positive influence of urban green spaces on human health and wellbeing and with the impacts of climate change on the distribution of horticultural plants.
For about 10 years, I have been engaged with public policy institutions, donor projects, and agribusiness associations. My main duty in these positions has been focused on developing agricultural policy for the spectrum of institutions with significant roles in agribusiness. I have been invited as a short-term consultant in Nigeria, Togo, Azerbaijan, Kirgizstan, Macedonia, and Kosovo.
Landscape Architecture is a new subject in Albania, where there is an urgent need to protect natural resources and to provide more green spaces, especially in cities. In 2015-2016, I was a Fulbright Visiting Scholar in the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Currently, I am applying what I learned during my Fulbright fellowship to develop the first undergraduate and graduate programs in Landscape Architecture in Albania.
My native language is Albanian, but I also know English, Italian and Russian.