Short Biography: Dr. Benkari is an Associate professor in the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering at Sultan Qaboos University. She is also associate researcher fellow at the Institute of Industrial science (University of Tokyo). Dr. Benkari is a trained architect and holds a Master degree in Architectural Engineering and a PhD in Urban Planning from the University Pierre Mendes France (France). She taught and practiced architecture in Europe, North Africa and the GCC. She published extensively in high impact scientific journals, conferences and books on issues related to Vernacular Architecture in Islamic countries, cultural heritage conservation, sustainable architecture, and Architecture education in the global south.
Dr. Benkari is a consultant in Heritage conservation and sustainable development for the Ministry of Heritage and tourism in Oman. In her capacity of ICOMOS Expert Member, she performs expertise, desk reviews, evaluation missions, and capacity building on World Heritage sites management and the SDGs. She is regularly collaborating with research centers and international organisms such as the UNESCO, The World Monuments Fund, the GCI in Getty Foundation, and The Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (RIHN)-Kyoto.
Dr. Benkari received several awards and prizes in recognition of her work in research and teaching. The most prestigious are: The Medal of the Algerian Scholar (2022), Prince Sultan Bin Salman prize for Islamic Urban Heritage (2016), and the 2023 National Research award.