May al-Ibrashy is an Egyptian architectural engineer with 32 years of field experience in architectural conservation, sustainable heritage management and urban regeneration in Historic Cairo. She is currently founder and chair of Megawra-Built Environment Collective, a twin institution consisting of an Egyptian NGO and a private firm working on issues of the built environment, particularly through Athar Lina, an initiative based in Historic Cairo that conceives of heritage as a driver for development, She has an extensive portfolio in design, planning, fundraising, implementation, training, and research at the nexus of heritage management and conservation, architecture, urban planning and design, development, heritage, archaeology, history, and the arts. In addition to a BSc in Architecture, she holds post-graduate degrees up to the doctoral level in art, architecture and archaeology from the University of London and an ICCROM/University of Venice diploma in stone conservation. With teaching experience in universities in Egypt and co-ordinating workshops and training courses for professionals, she is an Honorary Professor of Practice at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London and cofounder of the Built-Environment Institute for Applied Studies – Africa and the Middle East (BIAS-AME). May is a Prince Claus Fund Impact Awardee for 2022, and a Divia Award finalist for Diversity in Architecture for 2023. She was recently named in Dezeen’s list of ‘25 Women and Architects and Designers You Should Know’ (2023) and Africans Column’s list of ’50 Influential African Women Architects’ (2024).
