Mentorship

Doctoral graduates and where they are now

Each of the researchers below completed their PhD under Amir's supervision, most at AUT and others through his research labs and wider international affiliations, and each now holds a role in academia, industry or government.

Several have received AUT's Faculty Outstanding Doctoral Award.

From first lecture to lecturer: Dr Megan Burfoot

Megan studied with Amir as an undergraduate, then completed her PhD under his supervision, and now teaches at AUT herself.

1. UndergraduateStudent of Amir's at AUT
2. PhDClassroom acoustics: a responsive wall that tunes a room to how it is being usedSupervised by Amir with Ali GhaffarianHoseini and Nicola Naismith
3. RecognitionFeatured by AUT News; represented AUT at the Asia-Pacific Three Minute Thesis
4. NowLecturer, AUT

Students recognised

Amir's doctoral and postgraduate students are regularly recognised by AUT's faculty and school awards and featured by the university.

• Dr Dat Doan ↗Outstanding Doctoral Award, AUT: BIM uptake and Green Star certification, through system dynamics. Now Senior Lecturer, AUT
  2020
• Dr Megan Burfoot ↗Featured by AUT News for her PhD on classroom acoustics; represented AUT at the Asia-Pacific Three Minute Thesis. Now Lecturer, AUT
  2020
• Dr Sameh AzzazyAUT faculty and school awards for doctoral research. Now Engineering Manager, Vector
• Sameer SrinivasSoFE PhD Award 2026, School of Future Environments, AUT; coordinator of the From Neuro-architecture to Neuro-cities collection
  2026
• Deependra PourelSoFE PhD Award 2026, School of Future Environments, AUT
  2026
• Afsaneh Alinasab ↗Master of Construction Management, First Class Honours; Dean's Award for Excellence in Postgraduate Study; featured in an AUT student profile, supervised by Amir. Now Architectural Designer and Project Coordinator, Struc Services
  2025

Many more of his PhD and postgraduate students have received faculty and school awards.

Current doctoral researchers

Every current PhD project in Amir's team is fully or partially funded and linked to professional practice.

Research directions

Postgraduate research leadership

• Director of Postgraduate & Doctoral Studies, School of Future EnvironmentsLed the school's doctoral and postgraduate research system
  2020–26
• Chair, Postgraduate Board of Studies (school, seven years) and Faculty Postgraduate Board of StudiesAcademic governance of postgraduate research
  School · Faculty
• Head of Postgraduate Studies, School of Engineering, Computer & Mathematical Sciences
  2018–20
• AUT PhD ConvenerChairs PhD final examinations (viva voce) to ensure a fair and rigorous process
  University

PhD examination

Universities across New Zealand, Australia, Southeast Asia and Europe invite Amir to examine their doctoral theses.

He examines at proposal defence and at final examination, as external and internal examiner; chairs PhD vivas as one of AUT's conveners; assesses promotions to Professor and Associate Professor in New Zealand and the United Kingdom; and assesses research proposals for national funders in more than eight countries, including the Swiss National Science Foundation.

Mentoring the next generation of leaders

Beyond his doctoral researchers, Amir continuously mentors early-career academics and emerging professionals in architecture, urban design and the built environment, helping them build research careers, publish with impact, win funding and grow into leadership.

Prospective PhD researchers

Amir welcomes enquiries from talented researchers with backgrounds in architecture or urban studies interested in neuro-architecture and cognitive studies of buildings, building and urban performance simulation, sustainable design technologies, and digital twin and AI-integrated design.