Maryam Khabazi is an urban designer and urban planner from Tehran who is currently working and studying in New York City. Maryam came to Parsons to build on her planning and design skills through the interdisciplinary framework offered by the Theories of Urban Practice MA program. Her professional experience in Iran includes work for several urban design and planning firms, as well as lecturer positions at the University of Azad. Emergent from her time as a practitioner was a realization about the disconnection often found between theory and practice. Central to her approach is the potential to bridge these gaps between theory and practice in urbanism as a compelling foundation for her own research and practice.

Her past research includes projects focused on encouraging sustainable behavior through urban design, as well as a serious dissertation regarding the progression of urban form as it is related to water systems, to its current relationship with the oil industry. Currently, she is focusing on the research area of disaster management through social resiliency in New York City after Hurricane Sandy, looking at the connection between technology, communities and preparedness sector of the Department of Emergency Management. She is also involved in a team of research on Designing Resilient Urban Water Systems, Case Study of Connecticut River Valley where she assembles and analyzes Information and GIS Data.