Samar Maqusi is a Research Associate at PEARL, currently working in tandem with UCL’s RELIEF centre. Her work investigates modes of sociality and vitality in the camps, inside a burdened Lebanon, while drawing analysis and reflections on possible forms of livelihoods between the camp and the city. Samar’s career as an architect and urban specialist includes 13+ years of experience in international development, including urban design and development in conflict-areas. Before moving to UCL, Samar worked with UNRWA (UN Agency for Palestine refugees) as an Architect/Physical Planner, focusing on programmes of shelter rehabilitation and camp improvement. Samar completed her PhD at the Bartlett School of Architecture in London, in which she investigated the politics of space-making inside the Palestine refugee camps from their inception as scattered relief tents to the highly dense and urbanized architectural form they have become today, mainly focusing on Jordan and Lebanon. She is involved in documentary film-making, spatial installations and exhibited her work and photography in London and the US.
Website: https://profiles.ucl.ac.uk/41091-samar-maqusi/publications