As Associate at Lanka.pro, I am currently working on the development of AI Genius Loci - a card game that helps communities connect with the ‘spirit of their place’ and design future strategies rooted in local heritage. I also serve as an Expert for EIT Urban Mobility, contributing under the project Mobility for More Liveable Urban Spaces, and collaborate on visual design for MARSM, a platform for music from the Arabic-speaking world.

Previously, I have worked with Avant-Garde Lawyers (cultural rights, artistic freedom, international law), Creative Impact Research Centre Europe (CCSI innovation), UNESCO and Khalili Foundation (arts, culture and education philanthropy), SOAS University of London (music curation and outreach),  Film Africa (festival celebrating African cinema) and as senior designer in the fashion industry.

Spanning cultural policy, theory, conflict studies, music and audiovisual media, my interdisciplinary research has been published in journals Sounding Out! and Screenworks, and in collaboration with the Creative Impact Research Centre Europe during my time as Research Fellow.

I hold an MA in Global Creative and Cultural Industries from SOAS University of London and I am an alumna of the 2024 EU Global Cultural Relations Programme.

To request a CV or discuss collaborations, please email merje.laiapea@gmail.com.

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