I'm ...

Ghazaal Karkhaneh

I am a
A researcher in sustainable and resilient environments

Member of Iranian Scientific Association for Landscape (ISAL)
Member of Iranian Society of Landscape Professionals (ISLAP)
GhazaalKarkhane[at]gmail[dot]com
Ghazaal-Karkhaneh
Tehran, Iran

About Me

In the first instance, I am an individual who is becoming increasingly interested in my surroundings and deeply engaged in natural resources and environmental sciences. Over the years of work and learning, I have discovered that urban ecological and social issues hold paramount importance for me. The challenges we face today, whether they are environmental, social, economic, political, or industrial, are intricately intertwined with our urban areas. Consequently, my focus has gravitated towards researching, designing, and studying social-ecological systems, urban landscapes, climate change, spatial-temporal evaluations, GIS-based and 3D-based environmental assessment projects, nature-based and waste-based solutions, and ecosystem services, which brings me great joy and is a daily pursuit of mine. My insatiable appetite for acquiring updated scientific knowledge has always been a driving force in my academic journey. However, it was the experience of working on my master's thesis, specifically the design of the Sadr Highway based on a resilient landscape concept, between 2019 and 2021, that profoundly influenced my path. This undertaking exposed me to an unprecedented realm of science, opening my eyes to new possibilities and igniting a passionate curiosity within me.

As a result, my research interests have expanded to encompass various domains, including resilient and sustainable social-ecological systems, spatial-temporal analysis, sustainable infrastructure systems, climate change adaptation and mitigation, landscape resilience and ecological connectivity, ecosystem services assessment, integration of GIS assessments in environmental projects, mapping and data-driven technologies, and gray-blue-green infrastructures, and their respective subdomains. Challenging the status quo has become an inherent part of my identity as an environmental and landscape engineer, as I constantly push boundaries and seek innovative solutions.

To support my research and design endeavors, I actively utilize a range of 3D software tools such as AutoCAD, SketchUp, Adobe Photoshop, and GIS software. These tools empower me to analyze and visualize spatial data, complex environmental processes, and ultimately contribute valuable insights to decision-makers and stakeholders. By combining my passion for urban ecology, spatial analysis, and sustainable development, I aspire to make substantial contributions to the field of natural resources and environmental sciences. Through my research, I aim to better understand and address the intricate challenges of urban and rural ecosystems, striving towards their resilience and promoting sustainable practices for the harmonious coexistence of nature and society.

Resume

Education

2016 - 2021

M.Sc. in
Landscape Design Engineering

(Sep 2016 - Sep 2021)
  • Islamic Azad University, Science & Research Branch, Tehran, Iran
  • Cumulative GPA: 4.00/ 4.00
  • Thesis Topic: Design for Urban Highways Landscape in order to enhance Landscape Resilience, Case study: Sadr Highway in Tehran,Iran.
  • Thesis grade: 4.00/4.00
  • Thesis Supervisors: Dr. Nassim Sahraei Nejad, Dr. Hossein Mousavifatemi
  • Utilized landscape metrics and spatial-temporal analysis to evaluate the ecological health and resilience of urban and natural environments.
    Developed innovative models for sustainable urban landscape planning.
    Published findings in relevant journals
    Having ongoing publications related to my research interests
    Produced detailed reports and documentation on environmental assessments, project outcomes, and research methodologies

2010 - 2015

B.Sc. in
natural resources-Environmental engineering

(Sep 2010 - Jan 2015)
  • Islamic Azad University, Parand Branch
  • Cumulative GPA: 3.92/ 4.00
  • Thesis Topic: Estimating the value of the resort using the travel - Cost Method, Case Study: Tangeh Vashi Recreation area, Firouzkouh, Iran.
  • Thesis grade: 4.00/4.00
  • Thesis Supervisors: Dr. Masomeh Shojaee
  • Conducted research on natural resource management and environmental impact assessments
    Developed and implemented models for assessing the economic value of recreational areas using the Travel-Cost Method, using SPSS.

Research Interests

  • Resilient and sustainable Social-Ecological systems

  • Sustainable Infrastructure systems

  • Spatial-Temporal Analysis

  • Integration of GIS assessments in Environmental Projects

  • Landscape resilience and ecological connectivity

  • Climate Change Adaptation & Mitigation

  • Ecosystem services assessment

  • Mapping & Data-driven Technologies

  • & related subset concepts

Research Experience

Research Assistant

2020 - 2024

  • Department of Environmental Engineering - Islamic Azad University - Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran
  • Collaborated with Professor Nassim Sahraei Nejad to investigate sustainable design principles and their impact on urban resilience.
    Applied advanced landscape metrics and graph theory to evaluate overall landscape resilience, conducting in-depth research on urban landscape resilience.
    Collaborated on the development of frameworks for assessing and enhancing the sustainability of urban environments

Work & Experiences

2019 - NOW

Senior Manager and Consultant

  • Foolad Karkhaneh Tejarat Iranian | Tehran
  • Manager and Consultant in Environmental design projects. Related to education field with nearly four years of insurance.
  • Directed environmental projects; provided consultancy on sustainability practices; integrated resilient and sustainable design principles into projects; and supervised interdisciplinary teams.
    Acquired proficiency in project management; strategic planning; stakeholder engagement; and intermediate skills in tools such as Lumion, Revit, R, Python.

2015 - 2016

Consultant and Intern

  • Parnikh Architecture Company | Tehran
  • Intern, and Consultant in Environmental projects. Related to education field.
  • Assisted in research and analysis for environmental design projects; provided consultancy on environmental impact assessments
    Prepared and reviewed project documentation; coordinated with teams to meet project goals; and developed intermediate skills in AutoCAD, Photoshop, and ArcGIS

Publications

2022

Status: Published (Link)

Language: Persian / English
  • Investigating Elements and Indicators for Designing Urban Highways Landscape to Enhance Landscape Resilience.
    Ghazaal Karkhaneh, Nassim Sahraei Nejad, Hossein Mousavifatemi
  • The Armanshahr Journal of Architecture, Urban Design & Urban Planning

2024

Status: Submitted

Language: English
  • The Resilience Assessment of Urban Highway Landscapes with the help of Landscape Metrics & Graph Theory
    Ghazaal Karkhaneh, Saeed Behzadi, Nassim Sahraei Nejad

2024

Status: In Preparation

Language: English
  • Transportation Planning and Its Effects on Urban Sustainability and resilience
    Ghazaal Karkhaneh, Nassim Sahraei Nejad

2024

Status: In Preparation

Language: English
  • Smart Cities and Urban Planning
    Ghazaal Karkhaneh, Saeed Behzadi, Nassim Sahraei Nejad

Workshop and Additional Cources

  • Webinar - Transition towards Low-Carbon Cities and Meaningful Youth Inclusion By ASEAN

    Aug 15, 2024

  • Webinar - Low-Water-Need and Xeriscape Green Spaces: A Step Toward Adapting Urban Green Spaces to Global Climate Change - Authorized by Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch

    Aug 13, 2024

  • Webinar - The Landscape Profession and Overview of Design Supervision and Consulting Contracts for Landscaping Projects - Authorized by Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch

    May 14, 2024

  • Webinar - Smart Sustainable Cities: Inclusive Digital Transformation

    Aug 14, 2024

  • Webinar - Extreme Urban Heat: Opportunities to Mitigate Risks in Cities

    Aug 13, 2024

  • Webinar - IISD ELP Infrastructure - Ecosystem-Based Adaptation Measures in the Reventazon River Basin Costa Rica

    July 30, 2024

  • Course - Remote Sensing using ArcGIS Pro - AulaGEO

    July, 2024 - Ongoing

  • Webinar - PMC AIA CEC Training: "Creating Better, Safer & More Sustainable Environments with Pedestrian Simulation

    July 24, 2024

  • Webinar - LAF's Biodiversity Trends for Landscape Architects

    July 23, 2024

  • Webinar - Zero-Emission Buildings Academy - Green Cities: Integrating Nature for Sustainable Urban Development

    July, 2024

  • Course - Python - Data Analytics - Real World Hands-on Projects

    April, 2024 - Ongoing

  • Course - Machine Learning From Basic to Advanced

    Feb, 2024 - Ongoing

  • Webinar - Al + LA: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Landscape Architecture held by LAF

    Aug 2023

  • Course - Ecosystem Services - a Method for Sustainable Development - Offered by Coursera - Authorized by University of Geneva

    July 2023

  • Course - Learning Python - Linkedin Learning

    June 2023

  • Nature-Based Solutions for Disaster and Climate Resilience - Developed by experts from UNEP and the PEDRR with support from the European Union, in collaboration with the SDG Academy and the EdX Platform

    June 2023

  • Master Course in Ecology, Ecosystem and Climate Change - Offered by the Udemy Platform

    June 2023

  • Course - Building Resilience and Sustainability to Extreme Weather Events(BEWARE Project) – Founded by the European Union

    May - June 2023

  • Course - Nature-Based Infrastructure for Climate Adaptation and Sustainable Development - NBI Global Resource Centre

    September 2022

  • Course - Programming Foundations: Fundamentals - Linkedin Learning

    Aug 2022

  • Webinar Series - Measurin Landscape Performance - LAF's 2022 CSI Program

    • Resilience-Focused Projects (Jul 2022)
    • Health-Focused Projects (Jul 2022)
    • People-Focused Projects (Aug 2022)

  • Webinar - The Keys to Making and Effective Climate Action Plan for Your Community - Crowdsourcing Sustainability

    Jun 2022

  • Webinar - Healthy/Healing Landscapes - IFLA EUROPE

    Jun 2021

  • Webinar - Biodiversity in action,Living Walls in London - Citygreen

    Nov 2021

  • Webinar Series - Tree of Life Webinars - Tehran University

    Sep 2020, Feb 2021, Aug 2021

  • Course - Google Earth - Tarbiat Modares University

    April 2021

  • Course - Writing Is Your Nature - PandemicUniversity.com

    May 2021

  • Course - Landscape Design Principles - Jahad Keshavarzi Organization

    Dec 2015 - May 2016

Certificates

  • Low-Water-Need and Xeriscape Green Spaces: A Step Toward Adapting Urban Green Spaces to Global Climate Change, Authorized by Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch

    Aug 13, 2024

  • The Landscape Profession and Overview of Design, Supervision, and Consulting Contracts for Landscaping Projects, Authorized by Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch

    May 14, 2024

  • Creating Better, Safer & More Sustainable Environments with Pedestrian Simulation - Offered by PMC AIA CEC Training

    July 24, 2024

  • Ecosystem Service - a Method for Sustainable Development - Offered by Coursera - Authorized by University of Geneva

    July 2023

  • Nature-Based Solutions for Disaster and Climate Resilience

    June 2023

  • Master Course in Ecology, Ecosystem and Climate Change - Offered by the Udemy Platform

    June 2023

  • Nature-Based Infrastructure for Climate Adaptation and Sustainable Development - Offered by the NBI Global Resource Center

    October 2022

  • Programming Foundations: Fundamentals - Linkedin Learning

    26 Aug 2022

  • Measuring Landscape Performance: LAF’s 2022 CSI Program Part3, People-Focused Projects

    3 Aug 2022

  • Measuring Landscape Performance: LAF’s 2022 CSI Program Part2, Health-Focused Projects

    29 Jul 2022

  • Measuring Landscape Performance: LAF’s 2022 CSI Program Part1, Resilience-Focused Projects

    27 Jul 2022

  • Google Earth - Tarbiat Modares University, Environmental Institute

    26-28 April 2021

  • Landscape Design Principles - Agricultural and Natrual Resources Engineering Organization of Tehran Province

    Dec 2015 - May 2016

Research Projects

  • Resilient Evaluation and Design of Qeytarie Project - Focusing on Social-Ecological Aspects

    Foolad Karkhaneh Tejarat Iranian - 2023 - Ongoing

  • Sadr Highway - Resilient Landscape Design

    Thesis - August - 2021

  • Tajrish Square - Resilient Landscape Design

    Free Design - June 2021

  • Outside Campus

    Studio of Landscape Design - December 2017

  • Religious Place of The University - Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch

    Studio of Design 2 - October 2017

  • Green University - Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch

    Studio of Design 1 - Jan 2017

  • Residental Villa

    Studio of Vicual Expression - October 2016

References

  • Dr. Nassim Sahraei Nejad (Sahraeinejad@srbiau.ac.ir)

    Associate Professor at Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch

  • Dr. Hossein Mousavifatemi (HosseinFatemi@srbiau.ac.ir)

    Instructor at Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch

  • Dr. Saeed Behzadi (Behzadi@sru.ac.ir)

    Assistant Professor at Shahid Rajaei University

Software Proficiency

  • AutoCAD

    80%

  • Sketchup Pro

    60%

  • ArcGIS

    60%

  • Autodesk Revit

    60%

  • Lumion

    60%

  • R

    30%

  • Python

    30%

  • SPSS

    60%

  • Adobe Photoshop

    60%

  • Microsoft Office

    80%

Language

  • Persian

    Native

  • English

    TOEFL iBT Best Score: 96
    Note: New TOEFL iBT Test will be taken

  • GRE

    Note: GRE Test will be taken

  • Turkish

    Upper-Intermediate

  • Arabic

    Intermediate

Honors & Awards

  • Ranked top 1% GPA among Graduate Students of Landscape Design Department at the Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran

  • Ranked top 1% GPA among Undergraduate Students of Natural Resources-Environment Department at the Islamic Azad University, Parand Branch, Tehran, Iran

  • Ranked top 1% in National University Entrance Exam for Master’s Degree among more than 10000 participants

Memberships

  • Member of Iranian Scientific Association for Landscape (ISAL)

  • Member of Iranian Society of Landscape Professionals (ISLAP)

Hobbies

  • Listening to music and podcasts

  • Reading

  • Photography

  • Researching

  • Painting

  • Learning New Languages

Contact

Email
GhazaalKarkhane[@]gmail[dot]com
Linkedin
Ghazaal Karkhaneh
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