Atyeh (Ati) Ashtari joined University of Memphis as a tenure-track Assistant Professor of City and Regional Planning in Fall 2023. She completed her Urban Planning doctoral degree at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) under the advisement of Professor Faranak Miraftab in Spring 2024. Atyeh holds two graduate minors in Global Studies and Gender Relations in International Development, a Master of Landscape Architecture from UIUC, and a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Art, Tehran, Iran.

Core Research Interests

Coming from an extensive interdisciplinary background, Atyeh’s research interests center community as the main unit of analysis and emphasis. They broadly lie within the realms of intersectional humane urbanism; sustainable community-based development; community economies; participatory action research; critical feminist theories, methodologies, and storytelling. She has authored several publications, and has done research in Iran, the United States, and Ecuador.

Doctoral Research Overview

Atyeh’s doctoral research has been nationally recognized by the American Association of University Women (2023) and the International Center for Research on Women (2021), receiving the 2021 Mariam K. Chamberlain Dissertation Award offered to one PhD student annually throughout US. This award celebrates leadership and high-level scholarship that advances social equity and inclusion. Her dissertation examines the relationship between community-based development and diverse solidarity-based economic practices under conditions of displacement, gender, ethnic and religious discrimination amidst a global crisis-ridden economy aggravated by the recent pandemic and climate change. Specifically, she studies ethnic and religious minority Sunni-Baluch women who engage in solidarity finance using their needleworking skills. Through their work, these women create an inclusive financial terrain, provide job opportunities, and negotiate with the state to claim resources, while engaging in collective practices of care and commoning that go beyond the individual and household levels in informal settlements of Iran. In 2024, Atyeh was awarded the title of Outstanding Doctoral Student at the department of Urban and Regional Planning at UIUC, presented annually to one doctoral student.

Engaged Scholarship and Community Service

Atyeh’s positionality as an academic committed to gender and racial justice and combating xenophobia is reflected throughout her engaged scholarship, activism, community service, mentoring efforts, and leadership. Notably, she has served on the board of Women and Gender in Global Perspectives program, Iranian Cultural Association, Doctoral Students of Urban Planning, and volunteers with organizations related to women’s rights and agency in Iran. For her service work bridging campus and community, as well as her efforts toward increasing inclusion and diversity, she has been granted the 2022 Outstanding Graduate Social Justice Award offered annually to one graduate student across campus by the office of Diversity and Social Justice Education at UIUC. Currently, Atyeh serves as the Vice President of the ACSP Faculty Women's Interest Group, which is a formally approved Interest Group of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning.

Major Research Grants

Her work has been generously recognized and supported by the American Association of University Women, International Center for Research on Women, Center for Global Studies, Barbara Yates Fellowship, Evelyne Accad and Paul Vieille International Research Award, and Ryerson Fellowship, among others.

Personal Life

Ati was born and raised in Tehran, Iran. Currently, she lives in Memphis, TN with her partner, Reza, and her adopted cats, Gorbaloo & Pishaloo. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, reading, pottery making and working with ceramics.