Yasser Elsheshtawy is a leading authority on Middle Eastern cities, paying particular attention to informal urbanism, urban history, and environment-behavior relationships. His books include Planning Middle Eastern Cities, Dubai: Behind an Urban Spectacle, and The Evolving Arab City. Currently an independent writer and researcher, and adjunct Professor at Columbia University, he was Professor of Architecture at United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, where in addition to teaching, he also ran the Urban Research Lab. He served as curator for the UAE Pavilion at the 15th Venice Architecture Biennale in 2016.