The Athar Lina Initiative is a participatory initiative that conserves the heritage of historic Cairo and conceives of it as a driver for community development.

May al-Ibrashy is also co-founder of the Built-Environment Institute of Applied Studies, an independent educational program focusing on equitable, sustainable and non-extractive solutions for the built environment in the Global South.

She is Adjunct Lecturer of Architecture at The American University in Cairo and honorary Professor of Practice at the School of Oriental & African Studies, University of London. She is a Prince Claus Fund Impact Award awardee for 2022 and a Divia Award finalist for 2023.

She holds a BSc in Architecture from Ain Shams University and an MA and PhD in Art, Architecture and Archaeology from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.