Home / Engagement

Global engagement

Where Amir's work meets the world: conferences he convenes, keynotes and public voice, the books and journals he leads, the governments and funders who rely on his judgement, and the recognition that follows. Every entry tells its story and shows its evidence.

At a glance

9Conferences and convening 8Keynotes, talks and public voice 9Books and editorial leadership 5Advisory and assessment 7Recognition and milestones 38Engagements on record, each with its evidence

Conferences and convening Keynotes, talks and public voice Books and editorial leadership Advisory and assessment Recognition and milestones

Conferences and convening

International conferences and symposia Amir has chaired, co-chaired or helped build, from the NZAAR series to GDI2027.

Conference ChairNo. 38

GDI2027 in Kuala Lumpur

The Green + Digital + Intelligent series goes international

2027 · Upcoming

Conference ChairNo. 33

GDI2026, with DigiBuilt2026

The second Green + Digital + Intelligent Built Environments conference

2026

Conference Co-ChairNo. 29

GDI2025: Green + Digital + Intelligent Built Environments

Three ideas that will shape the cities we build next

1–3 December 2025

Scientific Committee ChairNo. 27

DFBI2025: Digital Frontiers in Buildings and Infrastructure

Chairing the international scientific committee in Delft

11–13 June 2025

Symposium ChairNo. 26

Symposium on Neuro-Architecture

An ANFA-supported symposium in Auckland

2025

Conference ChairNo. 25

SASBE2024: Smart and Sustainable Built Environment

An international conference in Auckland, published by Springer

November 2024

Conference Co-ChairNo. 24

IGLC32: International Group for Lean Construction

New Zealand's first conference of the International Group for Lean Construction

1–6 July 2024

Conference Co-ChairNo. 10

ASA2020: 54th International Conference of the Architectural Science Association

Architectural science, held online through the pandemic

2020

Conference seriesNo. 04

The NZAAR international conference series

Architecture, landscape, urban design and engineering conferences across the Asia-Pacific

2016–2018

Keynotes, talks and public voice

Keynotes, panels, industry forums, policy submissions and public commentary that take research to the people who shape cities.

PanelNo. 35

Neuroarchitecture: a panel conversation

At AUT's School of Future Environments

21 October 2026

School eventNo. 30

SoFE PhD Awards 2026

Celebrating the doctoral researchers of AUT's School of Future Environments

2026

KeynoteNo. 28

Keynote at CCES 2025

From intelligent buildings to healthier, greener and more data-driven cities

5–7 October 2025

CommentaryNo. 23

A resilient, smart future for Auckland

Commentary featured in Architecture Now

June 2024

Industry forumNo. 19

Smart Cities Week Aotearoa 2024

Remarks at New Zealand's smart cities forum

May 2024

Policy submissionNo. 20

Shaping Auckland's transport future

Expert feedback on Auckland's draft Regional Land Transport Plan

May 2024

CommentaryNo. 21

Accelerating New Zealand's zero-carbon building transition

Why and how the building industry must move faster

May 2024

Industry conferenceNo. 08

German–New Zealand Chamber of Commerce

Business conference on energy solutions for industry in Australia and New Zealand

5 November 2019

Books and editorial leadership

Books, chapters, special issues and journal leadership: where the field's ideas are written, selected and edited.

Book · forthcomingNo. 37

Digital Twins for Sustainable Cities

Bridging Technology and Urban Environmental Management · Elsevier

April 2027 · Forthcoming

BookNo. 36

Sustainability and Construction

The Global Context and the New Zealand Perspective · Elsevier

November 2026

Book collectionNo. 32

From Neuro-architecture to Neuro-cities

A five-volume collection with Springer Nature

2026 · In press

Guest EditorNo. 22

A special issue on neuro-architecture

Intelligent Buildings International · Taylor & Francis

2024

Book chapterNo. 18

City Information Modelling for zero-energy communities

Chapter in City Information Modelling (Springer)

2024

Book chapterNo. 17

Governing urban overheating

Chapter in Mitigation and Adaptation of Urban Overheating (Elsevier)

2024

Editor-in-ChiefNo. 14

Urbanization, Sustainability and Society

Editor-in-Chief of an Emerald journal

Since June 2023

Associate EditorNo. 09

Associate Editor of two international journals

Smart and Sustainable Built Environment · Intelligent Buildings International

Since 2020

BookNo. 03

Formal Reflections in Architectural Conceptualization

Rationality versus Sensation · The Images Publishing Group

2014

Advisory and assessment

Roles in which governments, councils, research funders, universities and international networks rely on his judgement.

AppointmentNo. 16

Auckland Urban Design Panel

Advising on the design of Auckland's major developments

2024–2026

Academic assessmentNo. 15

Assessor for professorial promotions

Universities in New Zealand and the United Kingdom

Current

International networksNo. 12

Leadership in international networks

APRU Future Energy Landscapes · CIBSE Intelligent Buildings Group

Current

Government advisoryNo. 11

Office of the Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor

Consultancy member

Current

Expert assessorNo. 07

Assessor for national research funders in eight countries

From MBIE and the Royal Society Te Apārangi to the Swiss National Science Foundation

Ongoing

Recognition and milestones

Distinctions, landmark papers, appointments and the milestones of a career across Asia, Australasia and Europe.

RecognitionNo. 34

Top 2% most-cited scientists worldwide

Stanford University's annual list

2022–2026

AppointmentNo. 31

Associate Head of School (Research)

Leading research at AUT's School of Future Environments

July 2026

AppointmentsNo. 13

Visiting Professor in France and South Korea

Université de Lorraine · KAIST

Current

AwardNo. 06

Three consecutive Dean's Excellence Awards

Auckland University of Technology

2018–2020

RecognitionNo. 05

The most-read paper in 60 years of Architectural Science Review

What is an intelligent building?

Published 2016

Landmark paperNo. 02

A landmark review of green roofs

Applied Energy · about 1,000 citations

Published 2014

Academic leadershipNo. 01

Academic leadership in Southeast Asia

University of Malaya · Limkokwing University · Universiti Putra Malaysia

2009–2016