Born in Baghdad, Iraq, Zaha Hadid (1950-2016) studied architecture in London and she became one of the most highly renowned and revered architects in the world. After founding Zaha Hadid Architects in 1979, Hadid continued to receive accolades for her highly sophisticated, signature projects, including the 2004 Pritzker Architecture Prize, the Stirling Prize in 2010 and 2011, and the 2016 Royal Gold Medal by the Royal Institute of British Architects. Hadid also held chairs and guest professorships at various universities worldwide, including Columbia, Harvard, Yale and the University of Applied Arts in Vienna. With almost 1000 projects across Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas, Hadid's outstanding contribution to the architectural profession was acknowledged by the world's most respected institutions, having been recently included on Forbes' list of the 'World's Most Powerful Women'.