Samar Abdelaal is an architect, urban designer, and researcher specializing in heritage rehabilitation, post-colonial urban recovery, and participatory planning. She holds a double master’s degree in urban design: Revitalisation of Historic City Districts from Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus–Senftenberg (BTU) and Alexandria University. She is currently pursuing a joint PhD in Heritage Management and Urban Governance in Post-Colonial Contexts at BTU and HafenCity University Hamburg. Her master’s research examined the legacy of colonial planning practices and their impact on contemporary urban segregation in Port Said, while her ongoing doctoral research investigates how heritage governance structures shape post-colonial cities.
In 2022, Samar transformed her master’s thesis research into the foundation for the Bazar Abbas Recovery Lab, an internationally supported heritage rehabilitation initiative in Port Said funded by the British Council’s Cultural Protection Fund. Over the past three years, she has been a key member of the BTU project management team, leading architectural rehabilitation strategies, coordinating interdisciplinary partnerships, and supporting on-site implementation. Bridging academic research and professional practice, her work centers on cultural heritage preservation, integrated urban recovery, and participatory planning approaches. Since 2022, Samar has worked as a research associate, lecturer, and project coordinator at BTU Cottbus–Senftenberg.