Dr. Ayda Melika is a Visiting Assistant Professor at the School of Modern Languages and the School of History and Sociology. Ayda is the founder and director of the Iranian Studies Initiative at Georiga Tech and the faculty advisor for the Persian-American Resource Society (PARS). She earned her Ph.D. in the history and theory of Architecture and Urban Sociology of the Middle East from the University of California, Berkeley. As a scholar of urban cultures, Ayda’s research projects examine the poetics and politics of spatial practices in various countries. As a documentarian Ayda’s films focus on socio-cultural and political aspects of design and the spatial manifestations of collective activism. Her work has been presented in several major festivals and museums including the International Architectural Biennale Rotterdam, the Venice Biennale, and the Museum of Modern Arts (MoMA) New York. Ayda co-founded Reform by Activism and Design, which focuses on research and creative production around themes of social issues in the built environment.