Ahmad Sukkar joined the OIB after a Mellon postdoctoral fellowship at the American University of Beirut. He is a former visiting lecturer at the Department of Architecture at the University of Cambridge and a former research fellow at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies. He completed his PhD with a thesis in architecture and a Master’s degree in Humanities and Cultural Studies at the London Consortium (University of London in collaboration with the Architectural Association). He received an MA in Architecture and Urbanism from the Architectural Association. Ahmad holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Architectural Design and a BA in Architecture from the University of Damascus. He has worked at leading architectural offices in the UK and the Middle East, including Zaha Hadid Architects. His work which has received several international awards and prizes examines the interaction between architecture and culture in connection with design, heritage and identity in the Middle East, with a focus on urban conflict, reconstruction and development in Syria.