Maria Ignatieva

Professor Maria Ignatieva is a leading academic in Landscape Architecture at the UWA Design School, University of Western Australia. Her expertise spans urban biodiversity, green infrastructure, and ecological design, with a focus on transforming urban landscapes into climate-resilient, biodiverse spaces.

She holds dual professorial roles at UWA and previously at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (2010–2018). Her research integrates transdisciplinary approaches to address global challenges like climate change, emphasizing nature-based solutions. Key projects include the LAWN Project (Australia/Sweden) exploring sustainable lawn alternatives and leading the URBIO Network promoting urban biodiversity research.

Research Interests: Urban biodiversity conservation, ecological design frameworks, cultural history of gardens, and sustainable urban green infrastructure. Her work bridges academic research with practical applications through projects like Perth’s biophilic city model and Beijing-Perth green corridor studies.

Funding & Grants: Over $300k in principal investigator grants, including UWA’s Lawn Project (2022–2025), FABLE Collaboration for biophilic cities (2018–2019), and Swedish FORMAS-funded lawn alternatives research (2013–2017).

• Awards: 2024 IFLA President’s Award, Green Flag Award (2017), and UWA Teaching Excellence Award (2021).
• Collaborations: Global networks like URBIO and partnerships with institutions in China, Russia, and Vietnam.

Her teaching emphasizes evidence-based design, and she actively promotes biodiversity education through workshops and international conferences.