Mahmood Ismail Albrifkany, PhD
Lecturer in Interior Design
Introduction
Dr. Mahmood Albrifkany is a Lecturer in Interior Design in the Architectural Engineering and Sustainability Department at the University of Kurdistan Hewlêr, where he joined the School of Science and Engineering in September 2026. He holds a PhD in Landscape Architectural Engineering, an MSc in Interior Architecture Design, and a BSc in Architectural Engineering, and was awarded the academic titles of Assistant Lecturer in 2021 and Lecturer in 2025. Alongside his academic career at Nawroz University, Duhok Polytechnic University, and Duhok and Zakho Institutes, he brings more than fourteen years of experience in the international humanitarian sector, coordinating projects funded by the EU, UNESCO, GIZ, ILO, and BMZ across Duhok, Erbil, and Nineveh. His teaching bridges design studio practice with the realities of construction and delivery, and currently covers Interior Design Studio IV (IND301), Furniture Design Layout (IND302), and Working Drawing I (IND303).
Education
- - PhD in Landscape Architectural Engineering, Van Yüzüncü Yıl University, Turkey, 2025
- - MSc in Interior Architecture Design, Eastern Mediterranean University, Northern Cyprus, 2016
- - BSc in Architectural Engineering, University of Mosul, Iraq, 2012
Research
Dr. Albrifkany’s research focuses on humanitarian interior architecture and post-disaster shelter, with particular attention to design criteria for refugee camps and transitional housing in Iraq. A second strand addresses the rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of Kurdish and Iraqi heritage sites, including accessibility-led interventions delivered under the UNESCO–EU MADAD framework. He also works on the relationship between interior design and architecture as integrated design methodologies, and on behavioural evidence in landscape and campus planning. His work has been published in peer-reviewed journals and presented internationally, most recently at REAL CORP 2026 in Vienna.
Professional Membership
- Consultant Architectural Engineer, Member of the Kurdistan Engineers Union
- Consultant Architectural Engineer, Member of the Iraqi Engineers Union