FACULTY BIO

Areas of Expertise

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Dr. Sultan specializes in interior design, with a particular emphasis on the relationship between design and educational environments. Her expertise extends to design for services and the application of design thinking tools and approaches. She also prioritizes inclusivity and intelligibility in design.

Education

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• Doctor of Philosophy - Architecture Design Studio: Understanding Relations Between Built Environment, Learning and Behaviors 2014 - 2018 The University of Sheffield, UK
• Masters of Design for Services Learning Spaces for Collaboration 2012 - 2013 University of Dundee, UK
• MBA Project Management 2012 AMAUIB, Bahrain
• Bachelor of Science in Interior Design Design for Primary School 2002 - 2007 University of Bahrain, Bahrain

Biography

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Dr. Reem Sultan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Architecture and Interior Design, where she blends her practical experience in interior design with her academic pursuits. Her doctoral research, Design Studios: Understanding Relations Between Built Environment, Learning, and Behaviours, awarded by the University of Sheffield, reflects her dedication to exploring the relationship between design and education environments.

In her teaching role, Dr. Sultan covers various areas of knowledge, including design fundamentals, topics about design perceptions and social and cultural factors in design. She also focuses on design thinking and service design, as well as supervising graduation projects for both undergraduate and postgraduate students. Additionally, she teaches about inclusivity and intelligibility in design and innovation for postgraduate students.

Dr. Sultan is actively involved in the academic community, serving as an external examiner for master's thesis mostly in Design Management. She supervises students at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels and contributes to quality assurance efforts in higher education. This includes helping with the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) placement of courses and reviewing applications from other universities.

She holds a Bachelor's degree in Interior Design from the University of Bahrain, a Master’s in Design for Services from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design (University of Dundee, UK), and an MBA in Project Management from AMAIU, Bahrain. Her research interests include higher education spaces, design thinking tools and methods, spatial perception, and design intelligibility, all aimed at creating effective interior spaces.

Achievements

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First Women Hackathon - Second Prize

Affiliations

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• Fellowship of Higher Education Academy
• Affiliate of Bahrain Society of Engineers

Publications & Presentations

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1. Sultan, R. and Srinivasan, L., 2021. Bordering Processes: The Evolution of Social Borders at the Time of the Covid-19 Pandemic. Cities People Places : An International Journal on Urban Environments, 5(2), pp.9–31. DOI: http://doi.org/10.4038/cpp.v5i2.61
2. R. Sultan and F. Qaed, ""Service Design Thinking and Social Innovation Sustainability,"" 2020 Second International Sustainability and Resilience Conference: Technology and Innovation in Building Designs(51154), Sakheer, Bahrain, 2020, pp. 1-5, doi: 10.1109/IEEECONF51154.2020.9319998.
3. Sultan, R., Yusuf, A., 2021. Smart homes: end users’ perception – case of bahrain, “Smart Cities Conference 2020”, IET, 663–667. https://doi.org/10.1049/icp.2021.0936
4. Sultan. R, 2018. Design Studios: Understanding Users’ Experience. Impact by Designing, 3rd ARENA Annual Conference, KU Leuven, Belgium. ISBN 9789492780003