Simeon is a Senior Lecturer and Doctoral Researcher in Birmingham City University, researching how young people engage in the planning of future ‘smart’ cities. His PhD Project entitled: ‘Young people’s perceptions and awareness of the planning of the future ‘smart city’. Engaging, connecting and empowering the roles of young citizens.’ The research aims to appraise the perceptions, engagement and level of knowledge of young citizens  towards ‘smart city’ developments in key urban areas in the European context and evaluate how such perceptions hinder or enable cases of co-production of urban spaces. 

Simeon served as a trustee of the RIBA (2016-2019) and as a Vice-President for Students and Associates, co-founding the RIBA Future Architects initiative serving young professionals of the institute. The RIBA Future Architects network has a membership of 15,000 plus members. Simeon served as Young Planner representative on the RTPI General Assembly and International Committee (2018-2019). He co-authored and launched the Youth Manifesto for Sustainable Urbanism at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in London. Currently, Simeon is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority Cultural Leadership Board advising on culture and place. Simeon is an Academy of Urbanism Young Urbanist member, researching young adults’ experiences in cities. For the past six years, he has co-founded and teaches annually at a summer school in architecture and design for secondary school children in Bulgaria with the Minu Balkanski Foundation. He is a research associate with the youth agency Beatfreeks and a young panel member of the digital consultancy Commonplace. He has helped re-launch the Birmingham Architectural Association and has been an active committee member of the Birmingham Civic Society Planning Committee. He holds a dual master’s degree (2017) in Architecture and Town Planning from the University of Sheffield.

Simeon is available as an freelance researcher and consultant. Past clients include: