Dr Silvia Gullino – Academic Spotlight Interview

Dr. Silvia Gullino’s academic journey began in Italy. Growing up in a medieval town surrounded by churches and buildings inspired Silvia to become an architect and work locally, fulfilling her desire to contribute to the conservation of old structures in a town she loves. While training as an architect, Silvia’s fascination with the city’s scale unveiled high levels of environmental issues. Silvia wanted to learn more about environmental concerns and sustainable development, so she enrolled in an MSc in Environmental Engineering. This drive and passion to make a meaningful contribution to society subsequently led her to pursue a Ph.D. in Urban Planning.

Silvia is currently an Associate Professor in City Making, and her academic career has grown from strength to strength. She has worked on innovative research projects, collaborated with many talented individuals, and is now the Built Environment College Lead for Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion at Birmingham City University.

Silvia is currently working on research related to podcasting in education. During the pandemic, Silvia found that a lot of teaching material was video-based. Through her own research, she discovered that audio was a more effective tool to teach students. She was able to secure funding to continue researching how podcasting can be used as a part of learning, teaching, and assessments for students. Silvia plans on taking this one step further by using podcast audio as a research method in community-focused projects.

From 2021-2023, Silvia led the Planning and Real Estate Team at Birmingham City University. She currently teaches the MA in Planning Built Environments course. The most rewarding aspect of her job is watching her students grow and form careers of their own, shaping minds of the future.