niki puskas
about
me
I am an activist, who likes to do things, not only theorize on them. I believe in bottom-up, grassroots initiatives for social inclusion and real, transformative change, paving way to the right to decide and right for just, equitable, ecological and pluriversal futures. I’ve been working in the urban sphere since 2015.
Previously, I used to be an interior architect and designer, fashion designer and maker (clothing, bags, jewellery) – after growing disillusion with those fields, I left, searching for deeper meanings.
In terms of formalities,
I have a BSc in Light Industrial Engineering (Óbuda University, HU), an MA in Sustainable Design (Kingston University, UK) an MSc in Leadership for Global Sustainable Cities (University of Strathclyde, Scotland) and a PhD in Global Prosperity (UCL, UK). I am building on my diverse academic and professional background in my transdisciplinary practices and research methods. In this manner, mine is a holistic approach aiming at transformative, and consecutively regenerative design for pluriversal worlds that are conducive to life.
Currently,
I am a proud member of various informal groups woven across themes of play, games, love, care, joy, embodied transformation and practicing imagining otherwise. I am also member of the Landscape Research Group and the Humanitarian Landscape Collective. Previously, I was community advisor at Makesense representing the SWANA region, member of The Bartlett Community of Engagers Steering Group, rapporteur of the Council on Urban Initiatives, member of a PhD co-production collective rooted in the KNOW project, and co-creator of the Collaborative Social Science Research Manifesto at UCL.
Furthermore, I have been involved in various communication & engagement initiatives, seeking to disseminate knowledge in more inclusive, diverse & accessible ways.
I have a lifelong passion
for Muay Thai and recently I started bringing together this personal aspect with professional activities with the “MOVE Beirut!” project, where combining my Muay Thai & academic skills, a series of community workshops were delivered for people of Beirut, to teach and empower them to look after their mental and physical wellbeing as a response to the explosions in the context of already on-going economic collapse and the global pandemic.