Ana Luiza Favarão Leão (she/her) is a researcher, professor, and consultant with extensive experience in urban planning and design, and urban health. Ana earned her Ph.D. in Architecture and Urban Planning through the joint program between the State University of Londrina (UEL) and the State University of Maringá (UEM) in Brazil, in 2023. She is also a Fulbright alumna, having conducted doctoral research as a visiting scholar at Washington University in St. Louis. Additionally, she holds a Master’s degree in Architecture and Urbanism (2019) from the same program and postgraduate certificates in Statistics with a focus on quantitative research (2020) and Architectural Design (2017).
Currently, she is a research consultant for the People, Health, and Place Unit at Washington University in St. Louis. She also serves as a technical advisor for interdisciplinary initiatives involving systems thinking and spatial analysis. Her recent projects focus on addressing spatial inequities in urban environments, advancing environmental justice, exploring the impacts of climate change, promoting active mobility, and applying systems thinking to research on the built environment and physical activity.
In her free time, Ana enjoys cross-stitching and freestyle embroidery, practicing yoga, and exploring new cities on foot.