Raya Ani, one of the Middle East’s most influential architects, is a multidisciplinary architect and urban designer with over 25 years of experience working in cities like Baghdad, Boston, Dubai, Germany, and New York. She has led major architectural projects and founded her own practice, RAW-NYC Architects, with offices in New York (2012) and Dubai (2014). From 2015 to 2020, she was repeatedly recognized as one of the most powerful architects in the Middle East.

In 2017, Ani made history as the first female president of the AIA Middle East Chapter after winning the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Middle East election. She holds a BSc in Architectural Engineering from Baghdad University, graduating with distinction, and an MS in Architectural Studies from MIT, where she received the Harvard/MIT Aga Khan Scholarship.

Ani has taught design studios and served as a guest critic at architectural schools in Boston, Dubai, and New York. As a licensed architect in New York and a US Green Building Council Accredited Professional, she designed New York City’s first green public school and two LEED-certified residential towers in Battery Park City. Her projects have won numerous awards, including the 2014 Middle East Architect Leisure Project of the Year for the Aspire Sports Complex. In 2015, a RAW-NYC project was named “Most Innovative Commercial Structure” by Build Magazine. In 2016, Ani was shortlisted in an international competition to transform a women’s prison into a Hub for Women’s Empowerment in Manhattan.