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Biography

I'm an associate professor in Architectural Heritage at School of Architecture, the ����������. My responsibilities include leading the MA Conservation Architecture course, coordinating Research Degrees (PhD/MPhil), supervising PhD students and MA Thesis, and teaching in Design and Technology subject areas. 

I joined Portsmouth as a Senior Lecturer in 2016 following 3 years of teaching part-time at the Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. I'm a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and have a Doctorate in Architecture, awarded by the University of Edinburgh 2016. My thesis focuses on strategies for the understanding of the architectural values of the early historic sites and their conservation. I also obtained a Master’s degree in Architectural Conservation at the University of Edinburgh in 2011. I graduated with a BA (Hons) from the School of Architecture, Al-Baath University, Syria in 2005, followed by a Diploma in Architectural Design in 2007. 

Before commencing my postgraduate studies in the UK, I was involved in teaching as a design teaching fellow between 2006 and 2010 at the School of Architecture, Al-Baath University, Homs, Syria. In addition, I practiced architecture during the same period through my own practice and the local city council.

Research interests

I am an architectural heritage and conservation scholar whose work has been shaped by local, national and international collaborations. I view historic structures as repositories of place-based knowledge: architecturally authentic yet often disconnected from contemporary cultural debates. My research therefore develops conservation frameworks that deepen understanding of historic buildings, landscapes and ruins, strengthen appreciation of their cultural values, and support their preservation, presentation and community engagement. This work is grounded in critical analysis of architectural history, archaeology and material evidence.

I advance sustainable conservation and adaptive reuse methodologies that balance heritage significance with community aspirations and environmental imperatives. My research promotes holistic, interdisciplinary approaches that respond to heritage challenges, strengthen civic engagement, and support both formal and informal education. Through work on tangible and intangible heritage, digital preservation and cultural mapping, I explore diverse historical and scientific contexts and expand the methodological tools available for documenting, interpreting and communicating heritage values.

Virtual modelling plays a central role in my practice, enabling the assessment of conservation strategies and the reconstruction of original architectural experiences within their environmental and cultural settings. These digital outputs help engage local communities, visitors, academics, conservation specialists and professional bodies, generating constructive dialogue around proposed interventions. Cultural mapping and co-creation methodologies further enhance my critical heritage practice and allow me to identify the social values that communities and professional groups attribute to historic structures, informing more responsive and effective conservation approaches.

My creative and digital methods support the testing of interventions, enhance community participation and open new avenues for research. Through interdisciplinary practice, I demonstrate how creative approaches enrich heritage interpretation, preservation and the safeguarding of contemporary social value, positioning heritage as a living force that shapes identity and community cohesion. Through embedding creative practice within conservation frameworks, I also strengthen sectoral understanding of heritage’s contribution to wellbeing, inclusion, sustainable development and resilience. Alongside this, I champion community-led heritage research, interdisciplinary teaching and co-design processes that empower students, professionals and local communities to participate actively in identifying, preserving and regenerating their heritage.

Key projects 

• UNPATH 'Unpath'd Waters': Marine and Maritime Collections in the UK, AHRC Towards a National Collection: Opening UK Heritage to the World
• Enabling XR Enterprise (eXRe): Creating skills, boosting Communities and benefitting Visitor and Cultural Economy, UKCRF Community Renewal Fund
• Regenerating Cities during Crisis: Culturally-Routed and sustainable strategies for Middle Eastern Cities, British Council Newton Fund
• St Hubert Church, Idsworth through Video narratives
• Towards a Smart Village Framework: Critical Heritage and Community Heritage Narratives to Unravelling, Co-Creating and Re-Creating Rural Heritage
• The Middle Eastern Heritage Research HUB, ���������� GCRF Funded
• Rural Heritage for Civic Inclusion and Education, UoP TRIF Fund
• Climate Resilient Urban Nexus Choices (CRUNCH), Economic and Social Research Council
• Envisioning Future Green Cities: The Environment-Culture-Technology Nexus, ���������� GCRF Funded project

Key publications

• Teba, T., Pilia, E & Fiorino, D. R. (Eds.). (2026). The Conservation and Sustainable Development of Architectural and Urban Heritage: Methods, Strategies and Policies. Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation. Springer Nature, Cham.

• Teba, T. (2026) Why Does our Response Matter? Architectural and Urban Heritage in light of changing values and practices. In: Teba, T., Pilia, E & Fiorino, D. R. (Eds) The Conservation and Sustainable Development of Architectural and Urban Heritage: Methods, Strategies and Policies. Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation. Springer Nature, Cham.

• Teba, T., & Di Raimo, A. (Eds.). (2025). Conservation of Architectural and Urban Heritage: Indigenous and Global Sustainable Practices. Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation. Springer Nature, Cham.

• Teba, T., Pilia, E., Fiorino, D. R., & Concu, G. (2025). Cross-border co-creation of conservation perspectives for the archaeological sites Domus de Janas, Sardinia–Italy. Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development.

• Teba, T., Hawash, H., Moustafa, A., & Gharib, N. (2025). A tailored framework for heritage and values identification in historic Alexandria: Cultural mapping through Historic Urban Landscape conceptualisation. Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development.

• Teba, T. (2024). Culture as a drive for art and architecture: Ugarit’s religious architecture as cultural and societal manifestations. Arts & Communication.

• Teba, T., Merchak, N., & Chamoun, R. (2024). The “in-between” development and heritage: the impact of transportation infrastructure on Batroun’s Old Town. The Journal of Public Space.

• Teba, T. (2024). Constructing the image of ancient cities and the art of place-making through cultural, archaeological and architectural interpretations. Arts & Communication.

• Teba, T. (2020). Post-conflict Urban Resilience. In: Melis, A.  (Ed) Resilient Communities. Italian Pavilion Venice Biennale 2021. D Editore
• Teba, T. (2020). ‘Virtual reality can bring ancient cities back to life and improve conservation’, The Conversation.
• Teba, T. & Theodossopoulos, D. (2019). ‘Reconstituting historical stratigraphy: Ugarit’s Temple of Dagan’, Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development.
• Teba, T., Theodossopoulos, D. & Crow, J. 2016. Exposing the Sacred Monumentality in Ugarit: A Conservation Proposal for the Temple of Baal. SAHC 2016: 10th international conference on Structural Analysis of Historic Constructions. Leuven, Belgium.

Key responsibilities

• Co-director of the University Centre of Excellence for Heritage Innovation
• Chair of ICOMOS UK Digital Technologies National Committee
• Research Lead of Portsmouth Sustainable Conservation Trust
• Founder of “Futures for Defence Heritage” Research Group (a mix of local, national and international academics and professionals)
• External Assessor for the National Agency for the Evaluation of Universities and Research Institutes in Italy.
• Funding Review Panel Expert for the Canada Foundation for Innovation Fund
• Founder of the Middle East-Europe Heritage Research Hub (European and Middle Eastern Higher Education Institutions and Heritage organisations and Heritage Bodies)