Mohammad Gharipour

Biography:

Mohammad Gharipour is an ACSA Distinguished Professor, Area Chair, and Director of the Architecture Program at the University of Maryland. An architectural historian, his work connects history with public health, cultural heritage, and social equity. He earned his PhD from Georgia Tech.

At Maryland, Gharipour led a strategic plan, oversaw NAAB reaccreditation, established an AI in Architecture minor, created a mentorship program, and developed partnerships and a Global Advisory Board representing eighteen countries.

He is the founder and director of the award-winning International Journal of Islamic Architecture and co-founder and director of the Epidemic Urbanism Initiative, an interdisciplinary network with members from 91 countries. As president of the Society of Architectural Historians, he completed a new strategic plan, restructured committees, introduced its first elections, established a mentorship program, and organized its first conference in the Global South.

His research addresses Persian gardens, architecture and urbanism in the Middle east, and architecture and health. He has authored and edited seventeen books and published more than 150 articles, entries, and reviews. He founded two book series: Health and the Built Environment and Critical Studies in Architecture of the Middle East.

In 2016, Diverse: Issues in Higher Education named him among twelve minority scholars “making their mark in academia.” His research, teaching, and leadership have been recognized and supported by the Society of Architectural Historians, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Institutes of Health, Fulbright and Fulbright-Hays programs, Foundation for Landscape Studies, Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture, American Institute of Architects, Architectural Research Centers Consortium, and Big Ten Academic Alliance.

Research interests: 

• Health and architecture
• Urbanism and architecture in the Islamic world
• Persian gardens
• Design of synagogues

Affiliations:

• National Center for Smart Growth
• Persian Studies Program