Youness is a Ph.D candidate at the school of architecture, planning and landscape (SAPL), focusing on bioinspired kinetic adaptation through materials. His research explores the potential and capabilities of smart materials in the creation of dynamic systems which allow buildings to respond to their surrounding environment and the occupants. 

Youness holds an integrated Bachelor and Master of Architecture from Iran, followed by several years of international architectural and engineering experience in practice and academia from Iran, Australia and Canada. Pursuing his passion for building physics and energy performance, he studied MASc in building engineering at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, focusing on the hygrothermal performance of building materials under extreme climate conditions. Before starting the Ph.D program, he worked as a building science consultant.