Vera is a multidisciplinary planning expert with an international academic background in Architecture, Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP), and the Sustainable Blue Economy (SBE). Through ArchiMare Consulting, she has served as an independent consultant for several intergovernmental organizations, focusing on Marine Policy, Ocean Literacy, and the various dimensions of the Blue Economy.

She has designed and delivered capacity building programs on MSP, SBE, and Sustainable Development. Since 2020, she has also been a guest lecturer at the American University of Beirut for the Maritime Cultures and Science Master’s course, organized and funded by the Honor Frost Foundation.

Since she designed an underwater archaeology museum for her final Architecture project in 2013, she has experienced a constant interplay between ocean and heritage topics, particularly within the Mediterranean Sea context and her home country, Lebanon. Combining these themes became a goal, and it eventually crystalized in her PhD proposal – fully funded by the HFF.

In her research, she will dive into the intersection of Marine Cultural Heritage (MCH) within international and regional Ocean Literacy (OL) initiatives. Considering the delicate context of the East Mediterranean, this work aims to she light on the channels through which MCH can be integrated into OL initiatives to foster sustainable behavioral change, supporting identity formation and peacebuilding in conflict affected areas.