Spotlight on…

Dr Veronica Albarran Carrillo, Research Associate, Cardiff University

What’s your current role at your institution?

I joined the Welsh School of Architecture in 2024 as a Research Associate for the Transforming Homes project. In this role, I support the PI on enabling our interdisciplinary team of over 50 members to carry out research on how to transform the UK’s existing housing stock to make it fit for present and future generations. My role centres on developing the mechanisms that allow us to collaborate, generate and exchange knowledge, and disseminate our research. This includes how we work together across disciplines, but also how we reach and engage with key stakeholders that can support this transformation.

Which past experiences have helped you the most in your current role?

Throughout my career, I have had the opportunity to work with highly multi-, inter- and trans- disciplinary teams across academia and practice in the realm of architecture and the built environment.

As consultant for the Interoceanic Corridor of the Tehuantepec Isthmus, I contributed to the masterplanning of over 3000 hectares of land in southern Mexico —helping design not only the physical plan but also the economic and policy mechanisms needed to bring it to life. This required close collaboration with experts in law, social and economic sciences, environmental science, geography, urbanism and architecture, as well as coordination with policymakers, government organisations, communities, NGOs, and the private sector.

In academia, I’ve partnered with universities across five countries and three continents on research into periurban geographies, delivering workshops and connecting researchers working in the Global South. These projects taught me how to navigate broad, diverse teams and, more importantly, how to learn from different forms of expertise. That said, Transforming Homes has been uniquely challenging and rewarding!

What excites you about the research in the Transforming Homes project?

What excites me most about Transforming Homes is that it goes beyond research—it’s a truly transformational process. On the one hand, it’s deeply local: we’re starting from people’s lived realities, making authentic connections with the communities we are designing with and for. This ensures that what we build isn’t just a ‘built environment’ but homes that support dignity, health, and aspirations for the future. On the other hand, the project brings together an extraordinary range of stakeholders—academia, local authorities, industry, and communities—working under one shared mission. That level of collaboration and knowledge exchange makes the project unique, and it’s what gives it the power to create lasting change.

How is your expertise contributing to the Transforming Homes project?

I contribute to Transforming Homes by drawing on my background in housing research and my experience working with a wide range of stakeholders. I’m passionate about the role architecture can play in shaping dignified, healthy living environments, and I see my role as helping the consortium connect diverse expertise and perspectives to make that vision a reality.