PhD candidate
Contact
Email: azima751@student.otago.ac.nz
Originally from Iran, Mahsa holds a master's degree in Natural Disaster Management with a focus on flood and earthquake risk. Before starting her PhD, she worked as a consulting engineer in disaster risk reduction and completed two international courses in the Netherlands. She moved to New Zealand to pursue her passion for disaster resilience research.
Mahsa enjoys mountaineering, hiking, doing yoga, gym training, and playing chess. She has also worked as a chess coach for teenagers for several years.
Research
Mahsa’s doctoral research explores seismic risk tolerance among owners of heritage buildings in Dunedin. Her study focuses on community-driven retrofit frameworks, cultural perspectives, and policy incentives.
Supervisors
Professor Caroline Orchiston