Mitra Memari often wonders whether she chose architecture or architecture chose her—in her native language of Farsi, her last name actually means architect. Her grandfather was a city planner in Northwest Iran and she grew up viewing spaces through a design prism. Inspired by the detail and craft of architecture, Mitra has provided the leadership for a number of innovative and high-performance building designs. As Principal in the Los Angeles office, Mitra brings over 19 years of professional experience and a portfolio of large-scale and technically complex projects, including research laboratories, academic facilities, healthcare projects, as well as commercial and mixed-use buildings. She has been responsible for guiding multi-disciplinary teams and diverse user groups from programming through construction. Her portfolio encompasses projects for The University of Arizona / Dignity Health, The University of Texas at Arlington, and the University of Southern California, where she was responsible for the Eli and Edythe Broad CIRM Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research—a recipient of the American Architecture Award from the Chicago Athenaeum & The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and the Laboratory of the Year High Honors from R&D Magazine. Mitra graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture.