Meet the Jury for the Green Infrastructure Research - Academic Work Category

Urbanist, landscape architect, Director at The Urbanist and Associate Director of Design

Zoë Avery is an urbanist dedicated to integrating green infrastructure into sustainable urban environments. As Director at The Urbanist and Associate Director of Design (Urban Planning) at the University of Auckland, she bridges practice and academia to advance innovative green solutions. With over 20 years of experience, Zoë has developed expertise in implementing green infrastructure across scales and transformed urban spaces addressing multiple challenges simultaneously: managing stormwater, mitigating urban heat, enhancing biodiversity, and creating more liveable communities. Zoë's landmark contribution to New Zealand's green infrastructure landscape is the country's first Living Roof Guide (Pukapuka tātaki ki te mataora tuanui), which won the New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects Landscape Publication Award in 2019. Her interdisciplinary background in urban design, planning, and landscape architecture gives her problem-solving mindset, that bridges project needs with long-term strategic thinking. She’s also reshaping urban planning education by placing green infrastructure at its core, preparing future professionals to design cities as integrated ecosystems. Through both teaching and practice, she champions greener, healthier, and more resilient urban futures.

Associate Professor, University of Genoa, Architecture

Katia Perini is an associate professor at the Architecture and Design Department, Polytechnic School of the University of Genoa (Italy). Main research interests: effects and performances of nature-based solutions in the field of environmental and economic sustainability in urban areas and building/urban design.  

Assistant Professor. University of Lisbon. Civil Engineering

Cristina Matos Silva holds a PhD and a Habilitation in Civil Engineering (IST, 2006, 2025). She leads the GiGroup research group of Técnico, University of Lisbon, being an active researcher in the field of Nature-Based Solutions for buildings, particularly green roofs and green walls. Her research focuses on designing and implementing these solutions to deliver multiple benefits in buildings and urban environments, such as improved thermal comfort, water retention, enhanced biodiversity, and overall well-being. Her work also addresses performance assessment of these systems, incorporating citizen science approaches, economic evaluation, and integration with rainwater and greywater harvesting systems—contributing to more resilient, livable, and sustainable cities. She coordinates several national and international research projects in this field and is a founding member and board member of the Portuguese Association for Green Roofs.