Dr Dorina Pojani
Researcher biography
I am Associate Professor in urban planning. I joined The University of Queensland in 2015 upon completing my postdoctoral residency at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. My research focuses on various aspects of the built environment, including urban design, transport, and housing - in both the Global North and South. I approach my work from a feminist perspective, considering the role of gender in the city. My academic journey has been international in nature, as I pursued graduate studies in the United States and Belgium, in addition to my home country of Albania. Over the years, I have held guest teaching and/or research positions in Austria, Chile, Italy, and Oman, and worked as a consultant for various United Nations agencies including the UNDP, UNESCAP, and UN Habitat. My research has been funded by domestic and international granting bodies. My latest books are Trophy cities: A feminist perspective on new capitals (Edward Elgar, 2021) and Alternative Planning History and Theory (Routledge, 2023). Alongside my academic research, I also publish broadly in non academic outlets, including The Conversation, and regularly give interviews on national and international media. Prior to joining academia, I worked in urban design and planning in California.
For a full list of publications, click the 'Publications' tab, which displays results live from UQ eSpace. To obtain the full text of the publications, visit the following pages:
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Funded Projects*
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2023-2025. Project: Study of factors associated with the choice of private electric transport vehicles in Vietnam. National Foundation for Science and Technology (NAFOSTED), Vietnam. Grant co-writer ($50,000).
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2023. Project: The woman-friendly city: Case studies of post-industrial areas in Tirana. READ Fellowship, Albanian-American Development Foundation. Lead grant writer ($17,000).
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2022. Project: Minimising corruption in urban planning and development: What can the Balkans learn from Scandinavia? UQ Promoting Women Fellowship (PWF) Sole grant writer ($12,500).
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2022. Project: We don't know where to go or how to get there: Mapping out the mobility needs for tourists in urban destinations. UQ BEL Connect Grant. Grant co-writer ($18,500).
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2021-2022. Project: The impact of Covid-19 on Brisbane / Southeast Queensland. UQ Faculty of Science COVID Research Recovery Fund. Lead grant writer ($50,000).
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2021-2022. Project: Bikeability for Transportation: Tools and Data for Research and Practice. AURIN grant. Grant co-writer ($135,600).
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2017-2020. Project: Reclaiming lost ground: Transitions of mobility and parking. Australian Research Council, Linkage grant. Grant co-writer ($358,000).
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2016. Project: Planning Tiger Cub City-Regions: Role Models and Policy Transfers in Sustainable Transport in Southeast Asia. Project based in Indonesia,the Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand. UQ Early Career Researcher grant. Sole grant writer ($26,150).
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2015-2017. Project: Urban planning issues in planned capital cities in seven countries: Burma, India, Korea, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Brazil, and Australia. UQ Startup grant. Sole grant writer ($15,000).
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2014-2015. Project: Informal Housing in five Balkan countries: Serbia, Northern Macedonia, Bosnia, Albania, and Kosovo. Grant from: Van Eesteren-Fluck & Van Lohuizen Stichting (EFL) Foundation, The Netherlands. Sole grant writer ($15,000).
*For a list of grants administered at UQ, see Grants.
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Editorial Boards
International Journal of Sustainable Cities and Society (since 2023)
Journal of Transport Geography (since 2022)
Australian Planner (since 2022)
Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice (since 2021)
Journal of Planning Education and Research (since 2019)
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Research (HDR) Supervision (PhD and MPhil)*
2022: Shortlisted for UQ Award for Excellence in Higher Degree Research (HDR) Training
- Els Leclercq [completed, associate]
- Roja Gholamhosseini [completed, principal]
- Annie McCabe [completed, principal]
- Renuka Bhoge [completed, principal]
- Deti Kusmalawati [completed, associate]
- Fahimeh Khalaj [completed, principal]
- Tigor Panjaitan [completed, principal]
- Melissa Hensley [completed, principal]
- Tmnit Hailu [completed, associate]
- Ksenia Nikolaeva [completed, associate]
- Nirma Yossa [completed, principal]
- Weichang Kong [completed, principal]
- Paula Grant [principal]
- Sufian Almubarak [principal]
- Krismiyati Tasrin [principal]
- Amjad Hossain Reyad [principal]
- Nadia Zaini [principal]
- Xuanbo Liu [associate]
- Abolghasem Azhdari [associate]
*See also Supervision.
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Teaching Responsibilities
SEES Most Impassioned Teacher Award (2020)
The University of Queensland
- Planning Theory (PLAN4001 / PLAN7120) – Lecturer & Coordinator [Highly Commended course by AESOP]
- Transport Planning (PLAN2100 / PLAN7116) – Lecturer & Coordinator [Dean's Commendation for Excellent Teaching, 2020 and 2021]
- History of the Built Environment (PLAN2005) – Lecturer & Coordinator
- Citymaking: Theory and Practice (PLAN4001 / PLAN7120) – Lecturer
Internationally
- Theory and Models of Spatial Development (Oman)
- Sustainable urban transportation and mobility (Austria)
- Regional development studio (The Netherlands)
- Urban design studio (Albania)
- Housing systems / Informal settlement processes (Albania)
- Introduction to urban planning (Albania)
- Urban anthropology (Albania)
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Qualifications
- Postdoctoral Residency, Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, Delft, the Netherlands. 2012-2014.
- PhD in Urban Planning, Polytechnic University of Tirana, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tirana, Albania. 2007-2010.
- Visiting PhD student, University of California at Los Angeles, Luskin School of Public Affairs, Los Angeles, Ca, USA. 2009.
- Master in Urban Planning, University of Cincinnati, College of Design, Art, Architecture, and Planning, Cincinnati, Oh, USA. Full scholarship award. 2003-2005.
- Visiting Master student, Catholic University of Leuven, Faculty of Architecture (St Lucas), Brussels, Belgium. Recipient of US government FIPSE grant. 2004.
- Professional Degree in Architecture, Polytechnic University of Tirana, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tirana, Albania. 1998-2003.
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Service Roles (UQ)
- Member of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee (Faculty of EAIT) [current]
- Chair of CALD Subcommittee (Faculty of EAIT) [current]
- Member of RAP Network [current]
- Member of Executive Committee (SEES) [past]
- Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee (SEES) [past]
- Deputy Chair of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee (Faculty of Science) [past]
- Member of Early and Mid-Career Researchers Reference Group (Faculty of Science) [past]
- Member of Research Committee (SEES) [past]
- Member of Health, Safety and Wellness Committee (SEES) [past]
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Languages
English, Albanian, Italian, Spanish, French.
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