Dr Hamid Khalili is a Senior Lecturer in Architecture and Future Processes (FP) Lead at the Manchester School of Architecture (MSA). His academic expertise lies at the intersection of architectural and spatial design and narrative media technologies, including film, animation, video games, VR/AR, immersive spaces, and digital heritage. He leads [FP] Lab, a research laboratory that investigates the relationships between spatial design disciplines, narrative media, emerging technologies, and design theory through both conventional and practice-based research, supported by strong links with the creative industries and the heritage sector.
Hamid has practised both design and digital media production—specifically film, animation, and immersive spatial technologies—and has contributed to innovation leadership and policy development concerning the integration of creative practice, emerging media technologies within urban and heritage contexts. He has taught, developed, and coordinated courses across three continents in architecture, media, and film schools. Prior to his current role at MSA, he taught and conducted research at the University of Edinburgh, the University of Liverpool, and the University of Melbourne.
He has delivered guest lectures, directed workshops, and served as a visiting critic at several architecture, design, and film schools across Europe, Asia, and Australia.
Other Appointments
- 2024-2027 Visiting Associate Professor, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland, Switzerland.
Employment History
- 2022-2023 Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, University of Edinburgh, UK.
- 2020-2022 Liverpool School of Architecture, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
- 2016-2020 Melbourne School of Design, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Languages
English, Italian and Farsi.
Postgraduate supervision
Current PhD Students:
- Gang Pan, ‘Architecture of Interactive Moving Images: Videogame Spatial Cinematics’ (Role: Principal Supervisor).
- Anil Yavuz, ‘Past & Future: Real-timeTechnologies and Cultural Heritage’ (Role: Principal Supervisor).
- Ziqiu Ren, ‘Filming Everyday Temporal-Spatial Patterns: Food Markets Nodes in China’ (Role: Co-Supervisor).
- Yucheng Jia, ‘Crafting Cinematic Virtual Reality with Subtle Expressive Montages for Enhanced Immersion’ (Role: Co-Supervisor).
- Danial Maktabi, ‘Immersive Technologies and Heritage Storytelling: the Case of National Horseracing Museum’ (Role: Principal Supervisor).
I am interested in supervising practice-based and theoretical PhD and MPhil theses in the fields of:
- Cinema, architecture and cities
- Architectural image-making and representation
- Architecture and/of video game
- Narrative XR, VR, AR practices
- Digital, critical and intangible heritage
- Architecture and content-sharing social platforms (YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, etc)
- Architecture and/of sport (football and horseracing in particular)
My other research interests include, but are not limited to material and visual culture, history of domesticity and interiors, architecture and literature, film theory, and Serbian and Balkan architecture.
Press and media appearances and contributions
- 2A Magazine: Special Edition of Expo 2020 Dubai – ‘Expo 2020 Dubai and Screen-walls; Towards a Digital Future’ (2022): https://2aincorp.com/2a-magazine-special-edition-of-expo-2020-dubai-feb…
- 2020
- Pirate Radio – A conversation on Melbourne Design Week and Urban Screening with Rob Cameron and Tim Moore (2020)
- Interview with Archdaily Editorial Team – ‘No Architectural Media Communicates Atmosphere and Ambiance as Compellingly as Film’ (2019): https://www.archdaily.com/920626/students-rethink-architecture-through-filmmaking-at-melbourne-school-of-design
- Medium- ‘Film School Roundup’. https://medium.com/@miniflixTV/film-school-roundup-july-week-two-2019-a…