Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands

SOLOCLIM's Project Coordinator

Main PhD Supervisor to ESR1 - Maricruz Solera and ESR2 - Yehan Wu 

TOPIC "Vegetation-based interventions"

Sanda is Full Professor and Chair Holder Landscape Architecture at Wageningen University. She also acts as a Principal Investigator at the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions (AMS). She studied landscape architecture at the Leibniz University Hannover and Housing and Urbanism at the Architectural Association School in London. Subsequently, she worked as a designer at landscape architecture and architecture offices in the Netherlands and Germany for seven years. Since 2004 she has been tenured at Wageningen University and specialized in the relationship between research and design as well as climate-oriented urban design. Within her research, she integrates urban climate science with urban planning and design practice. She publishes widely in refereed journals and her book on urban climate adaptation "Weather in the city" (nai010 publishers) is acclaimed internationally. Through her research projects (e.g. Climate Proof Cities, Climadaptool, Realcool, GreenQuays) she contributes to improving the knowledge basis of climate-responsive urban design. Her distinctive expertise on the interface of urban climate science, urban design and research through design makes her a frequently invited guest to give keynote talks, guest lectures and master classes in many countries and to act as an advisor for municipalities and companies.

E-mail: sanda.lenzholzer@wur.nl 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanda-lenzholzer-4b15b721/

SOLOCLIM's Project Manager

Ivana is a project coordinator and a researcher at the Landscape Architecture and Spatial Planning department of Wageningen University. By profession, she is an architect and urban planner (2011) specializing in Urban Environment and Climate Change (2016) from the Erasmus University in Rotterdam. 

Since 2011 she worked internationally in the fields of architecture, urban planning and EU urban policy matters  providing strategic urban knowledge and research assistance to EU Member States. On the other hand, her research so far focused on urban morphology, Space Syntax and the analysis of spatial configurations,  street integration, sustainability and climate change challenges in urban settings. 

At Wageningen University, Ivana is managing the SOLOCLIM project (the EU Research and Innovation - H2020 programme), working on citizen participation and communication within the GreenQuays project in Breda,  and in addition pursuing a postgraduate doctoral degree. Her ongoing research focuses on the effect of different communication methods on urban climate adaptation efforts.    

E-mail: ivana.vujic@wur.nl 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivanavujic

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/v_ivanai_v 

Secondary PhD Supervisor to ESR1 - Maricruz Solera

TOPIC "Vegetation-based interventions"

João is a design researcher passionate about the challenge of adapting urban areas to a changing climate. His core research interest deals with designing resilient urban climates through solutions in the interface between architecture and landscape architecture. João is particularly interested in finding synergies between open spaces and buildings, and on the role informal private-sector initiatives play in climate adaptation. Next to this, João is involved in research on overarching topics of urban resilience. João is an Assistant Professor at Wageningen University, Landscape Architecture Group, and a Tenure Tracker of the Designing Systems for Informed Resilience Engineering (DeSIRE) programme of the 4TU Centre for Resilience Engineering.

E-mail: joao.cortesao@wur.nl

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joaogcortesao/

Twitter: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Joao_Cortesao

Secondary PhD Supervisor to ESR2 - Yehan Wu

TOPIC "Vegetation-based interventions" 

Agnès is an Assistant Professor in Landscape Architecture at Wageningen University. She originally trained as a landscape engineer in France where she undertook internships in various design offices in France, Sicily and Canada. She trained in landscape research through internships at the University of Sheffield (UK) and at TUWien (Austria), before pursuing a PhD at the University of Edinburgh (UK). While there, she joined the team at OPENspace, the international research centre investigating issues of accessibility and inclusivity of public outdoor spaces, and developed an expertise on topics linking landscape and human health. She supported the development and delivery of one of only two European MSc programmes training a generation of future practitioners in the fields of landscape and wellbeing. She joined the team at Wageningen University in 2019 and since then has been working on developing a research agenda operationalising landscape design solutions to support and improve the health of populations. She sits on the Scientific Council of the French research programme ITTECOP led by the French Ministry for Ecological and Inclusive Transition. Her work has been presented in international conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals, and she has been awarded the Journal of Digital Landscape Architecture award 2019 on Scientific excellence for her paper “Investigating landscape preference using fractal geometry” presenting the results of her PhD research. 

E-mail: agnes.patuano@wur.nl

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/agn%C3%A8s-patuano-3a3574193/

Secondary PhD Supervisor to ESR2 - Yehan Wu

TOPIC "Vegetation-based interventions" 

Bardia is Assistant Professor of Digital Landscapes at Landscape Architecture and Spatial Planning Group, Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University and Research (WUR), The Netherlands. His expertise is in the application of geographic analysis and spatial statistics for regional and urban studies. In particular, he is specialized in household energy consumption and energy poverty, spatial optimization of electric vehicles infrastructure, urban heat islands, and mobility network analysis. Since 2010, he has worked as a researcher in various European, Dutch and municipally funded projects. Since 2016 he gave lectures to PhD researchers, master-, and bachelor students of WUR, Delft University of Technology (Tu Delft) and Erasmus University Rotterdam. In 2020, he received the second best paper award from Annals of GIS's journal for his publication on spatial homogeneity and heterogeneity of energy poverty. Since 2021, he is the principal investigator of an NWO funded project (Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research): Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure for Amsterdam Metropolitan Region (EVA).

E-mail: bardia.mashhoodi@wur.nl

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bardia-mashhoodi-9172951a/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bardiam4

Website: https://www.wur.nl/en/Persons/Bardia-dr.ir.-B-Bardia-Mashhoodi.htm

Main PhD Supervisor to ESR5 - Sinead Nicholson and ESR6 - Marika Tomasi

TOPIC "Climate-responsive flexible systems" 

Marialena is Professor of Sustainable Architecture and Deputy Head of School at the Kent School of Architecture & Planning, University of Kent.  She has extensive experience in managing large collaborative research projects on sustainability, urban microclimate, energy in the urban environment and environmental quality across different operational contexts. Her work on outdoor comfort has received awards from diverse bodies (RIBA, International Society of Biometeorology) and best paper prizes, and has influenced the understanding of the topic across the world. She is on the Steering Committee of the CIBSE Guide A on Environmental Design, and is Principal Investigator of the EPSRC-funded project ‘Urban Albedo Computation in high latitude locations: An experimental approach’.

E-mail: M.Nikolopoulou@kent.ac.uk

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marialena-nikolopoulou-b4646147/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarialenaNikol

Secondary PhD Supervisor to ESR5 - Sinead Nicholson

TOPIC "Climate-responsive flexible systems" 

E-mail: r.watkins@kent.ac.uk

Secondary PhD Supervisor to ESR6 - Marika Tomasi

TOPIC "Climate-responsive flexible systems" 

Dr. Giridharan Renganathan, B.Arch(IIT); M.Ur. Dgn (HKU); PhD (HKU); AIA (SL) is a senior lecturer and Director of Centre for Architecture and Sustainable Environment at the University of Kent. He has held research appointments at University of Hong Kong (2006), Brunel University (2007) and Loughborough University (2009). Prior to taking up the academic career, he had worked for organisations such as State Engineering Corporation, Urban Development Authority and Avant Garde Urban Design Partnership in Sri Lanka. His research focus is on Urban Morphology and Climatology (environmental design), with specific interest in Urban Heat Island effect and indoor overheating. He has secured large research grants from RGC (Hong Kong SAR) and EPSRC (UK), European Commission, and small grants from European Union Regional Development Fund (EU), Herritage lottery fund/Kent County Council (UK) and University of Moratuwa (Sri Lanka). He has over 30 peer reviewed publications and 5 book chapters. He received the prestigious Carter Bronze Medal (2016) CIBSE. Dr Giridharan is in the editorial board of ‘Atmosphere’  and ‘Architecture’ Journals and reviewed papers for leading journals in built environment area. He has also reviewed research grant proposals for NERC (UK), EPSRC (UK), MRC UK) Israel Science Foundation and Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.   

E-mail: g.renganathan@kent.ac.uk

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/giridharan-renganathan-08698445/  

GoogleScholar:  https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=gvSGiC0AAAAJ&hl=en 

Main PhD Supervisor to ESR3 - Adrian Moredia and ESR4 - Mariana Pereira

TOPIC "Water-based solutions" 

Valentina has a PhD degree in architecture and she is an associate professor at the Politecnico di Milano, department DAStU - Architecture and Urban Studies. She teaches environmental design at the School of Architecture, Urban Planning, Construction, Engineering of the Politecnico di Milano. It carries out research activities mainly oriented towards the enhancement of urban spaces as systems for mitigating and adapting climate change and defining strategies to improve, and evaluate (with simulation tools in a dynamic regime and field survey), the conditions of thermal comfort of open spaces (urban spaces, schoolyards, spaces for play etc.). She has participated in important national and international research, regularly attends international conferences and publishes her work in books and academic journals.

E-mail: valentina.dessi@polimi.it

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valentina-dess%C3%AC-3094591a/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/vdessi69

Secondary PhD Supervisor to ESR3 - Adrian Moredia and ESR4 - Mariana Pereira

TOPIC "Water-based solutions" 

An architect by education, Eugenio is Associate Professor in Urban Planning and Design at Polimi and coordinator of the ‘Laboratorio di Simulazione Urbana Fausto Curti’ and the ‘Climate Change Risk and Resilience Lab’ at the Department of Architecture and Urban Studies. Since 2017 he is the Rector’s Delegate for environmental sustainability and responsible for institutional projects towards a sustainable campus. He is the department principal investigator of the European H2020 projects ‘Clever Cities’ and ‘Sharing Cities’ and the UIA project Air Break. His research interest is situated in the interplay between urban design and environmental quality, climate design, resilience and adaptation to climate change. He investigates the integration of environmental aspects and energy transition solutions for the design of sustainable communities and cities towards the closing of energy and environmental cycles. He is also working on strategic planning for sustainability and localizing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in master-planning design schemes and Higher Education Institutions. More recently, his research work has opened new insights on the topic of collaborative consumption and sharing society and how these new paradigms can inform urban planning, urban design and co-design approaches.

E-mail: eugenio.morello@polimi.it

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eugenio-morello-b6a19316/

Secondary PhD Supervisor to ESR3 - Adrian Moredia and ESR4 - Mariana Pereira

TOPIC "Water-based solutions"  

Matteo is an assistant professor at the Department of Architecture and Urban Studies (DAStU) of the Politecnico di Milano, he is an Architect, and has a PhD degree in Building Technology and Environmental Design.

He carries out research activities dealing with tools to support sustainable design on a building and urban scale and to support the development of local self-sufficiency scenarios at the territorial scale.

He is particularly interested in the application of open source tools in order to support the public administration in self-sustainable territorial regeneration processes.

In the last years he took part in various researches project dealing with:

· Support tools for the energy retrofit of the existing buildings.

· Development of scenarios of local self-sufficiency, with the aim of formulating guidelines for the reduction of CO2 emissions in minor municipal districts.

· Free and open-source tools to manage climatic variables in the design of sustainable urban metabolism.

E-mail: matteo.clementi@polimi.it

Secondary PhD Supervisor to ESR3 - Adrian Moredia and ESR4 - Mariana Pereira

TOPIC "Water-based solutions"  

Renzo is a Full Professor in Hydrology and Water Engineering at the Politecnico di Milano since 1986. His professional experience includes projects on water resources analysis, planning, design and assessment; land reclamation, water and soil pollution removal, hydro-energy planning and design and dam engineering; and mitigation of flood, landslide and avalanche hazard.

He is author of research books, college texts, essays, 1 novel and more than 400 papers (more than 100 in SCI journals) in the fields of hydrology, water resources, river engineering, climate and glaciology, fluvial geomorphology, reliability analysis, stochastic processes, nonlinear dynamics and fractals.

He delivered talks, lectures and short courses as an invited lecturer by several academic institutions, e.g. Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule, Zürich; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge; Imperial College of Science and Technology, London; Vrije Universiteit Brussel. 

E-mail: renzo.rosso@polimi.it

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renzo-rosso-05ab6447/

Main PhD Supervisor to ESR3 - Adrian Moredia and ESR4 - Mariana Pereira

TOPIC "Water-based solutions"

Verali is the Program Manager of Global Cities in Europe. As a curious and passionate program manager, she strives at Arcadis every day to create a better and sustainable future for a world to come. While engaging colleagues, clients, and friends to prepare for the future of cities, she works in projects to take the wraps off the abstractness of sustainability and find specific solutions for the task at hand. With a background in Architecture and Urban Planning, Verali her perspective on sustainability is both integrated and visual. Shifting between levels of scale, content, detail, and organization create a more profound understanding of sustainability and the way it is perceived and valued by people around us. With these insights, Verali aspires to keep making a difference in the transition towards an ever-changing tomorrow.  The Global Cities program is ARCADIS' answer to the rapid global pace of urbanization. The program is directed at making cities more livable by providing sustainable urban solutions for challenges in transportation, environment, water supply, urban planning and building design. It seeks to help cities in becoming more competitive when attracting investors and developers, when attracting people or when adding cultural attractions.

E-mail: verali.vonmeijenfeldt@arcadis.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/veralivm/?originalSubdomain=nl  

Secondary PhD Supervisor to ESR3 - Adrian Moredia

TOPIC "Water-based solutions"

Michel Moens has been active in the field of urban water for more than 30 years. His hydrological background, years of involvement in the field of urban water and the daily practice of climate adaptation make him an all-round specialist. Michel is a substantive connector, team player, creative, result- and practice-oriented and involved. He is also a member of the program board urban water TU Delft and supervisor for graduates.

Michel: “I really enjoy beautiful and clean water. I am always looking for solutions to water-related problems. Working together, looking for synergy, connecting, and keeping in touch with the practice.

Michel is part of the team urban water & climate adaptation which supports municipalities, waterboards and industry in creating a climate-proof and sustainable environment.

E-mail: michel.moens@arcadis.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michel-moens-9582862b/?originalSubdomain=nl

Secondary PhD Supervisor to ESR3 - Adrian Moredia and ESR4 - Mariana Pereira 

TOPIC "Water-based solutions"

Marjan is an experienced professional in the field of Climate Resilience. She has a background both in civil engineering and in public administration. As a senior consultant and stakeholder manager for knowledge-intensive and complex public works, she gained a lot of insight into integrated projects and learned to value a research-by-design approach to problems. At the moment Marjan is a director at Arcadis of the Water management, Climate and Landscape Group.

E-mail: Marjan.denbraBER@ARCADIS.COM

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marjan-braber-den-8415096/

Secondary PhD Supervisor to ESR3 - Adrian Moredia and ESR4 - Mariana Pereira 

TOPIC "Water-based solutions"

E-mail: luc.cartigny@arcadis.com

Main PhD Supervisor to ESR5 - Sinead Nicholson and ESR6 - Marika Tomasi

TOPIC "Climate-responsive flexible systems" 

Juan Carlos is an architect by training, specialised in Management in the Built Environment at TU Delft, where he graduated with a thesis on collaborative planning for urban regeneration projects in Latin America. He has developed, throughout his career, a strong interest on the way that people interact with each other and with the built environment, with explorations on different scales from interior design to urban planning. Having worked with a number of design firms in Latin America and Europe, Juan Carlos leads the efforts of the Strategy+Innovation team at CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati for Europe, Middle East and Asia.

E-mail: juancarlos@carloratti.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jromerobog/

Main PhD Co-supervisor to ESR5 - Sinead Nicholson and ESR6 - Marika Tomasi

TOPIC "Climate-responsive flexible systems"

Within Carlo Ratti Associati, Monika is a Project Manager and a Chief Operations Officer. Trained initially as an interior architect in Estonia and working on various projects through all stages of design and construction, Monika completed a Design Master in the Netherlands in 2008 before moving to the UK to work for the architectural company Slider Studio.
In 2011, she graduated with distinction from the Centre for Research Architecture at Goldsmiths College, University of London, and continued her research at the Jan van Eyck Academie, a post-graduate research and production centre, in 2012. Monika is interested in readings of contemporary political issues within a constructed, real or imaginary architecture.

E-mail: monika@carloratti.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monikalove/

Secondary PhD Supervisor to ESR5 - Sinead Nicholson and ESR6 - Marika TomasiTOPIC "Climate-responsive flexible systems" 

Within Carlo Ratti Associati, Andrea is a Partner and a Project Manager. Andrea graduated in Architecture from the Politecnico di Torino with a thesis on the role of digital technologies in the contemporary city, developed at the Senseable City Lab at MIT.
In 2008, his work with Weekend In A Morning, “The tree sap, the divers and the silence,” was exhibited at the Venice Architecture Biennale. In 2010, with Weekend In a Morning, he won the international competition “Rome City Vision.” He writes periodically for the architecture magazine “City Vision Mag” and is a teaching assistant for the Architecture Design workshop at the Politecnico di Torino and Politecnico di Milano. 

E-mail: andrea.cassi@carloratti.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-cassi-6476a432/

Secondary PhD Supervisor to ESR5 - Sinead Nicholson and ESR6 - Marika TomasiTOPIC "Climate-responsive flexible systems"  

Within Carlo Ratti Associati, Antonio is a Partner and a Project Manager. Graduated in Architecture from the Università degli Studi Roma Tre in 2009, Antonio has a Post-Graduate “Master in Advanced Architecture” from the Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, Barcelona.
Between 2006 and 2010 he worked as a trainee in the cabinet of Prof. Maurizion Marcelloni in Rome, mainly in the field of architectural and urban planning. In 2011 he was awarded a scholarship to work with the FabLab of Barcelona and was responsible for organizing and running the digital fabrication facilities.

E-mail: antonio@carloratti.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antonio-atripaldi-62055535/

Main PhD Supervisor to ESR1 - Maricruz Solera

TOPIC "Vegetation-based interventions"   

Ralf is a horticultural engineer with an in-depth knowledge of plants and soil sciences. He works in the green roof industry for almost 20 years. Today, as Head of R&D he leads the ZinCo-owned R&D workshop which includes e.g. rain-simulation, substrate analysis, growing chambers, research green roofs, and a research green facade. Apart from that, he is currently involved in more than 10 external R&D-projects, mainly in cooperation with universities. Besides the work at ZinCo, Ralf Walker leads the Competence Center for Green Building and Urban Climate e.V., as one of the managing directors. One of his main works in the past includes the development of evaporation-maximized vegetation for roofs to actively improve the urban climate. This is a totally new approach to green roofs with a revolutionary different design. Read more about the Competence Center.

E-mail: ralf.walker@zinco-greenroof.com

Secondary Supervisor to ESR1 - Maricruz Solera

TOPIC "Vegetation-based interventions"   

E-mail: Dieter.Schenk@zinco-greenroof.com

Main PhD Supervisor to ESR2 - Yehan Wu

TOPIC  "Vegetation-based interventions" 

E-mail: igallou@fosterandpartners.com

Secondary PhD Supervisor to ESR2 - Yehan Wu

TOPIC  "Vegetation-based interventions"  

E-mail: lnzertuche@fosterandpartners.com 

Secondary PhD Supervisor to ESR2 - Yehan Wu

TOPIC  "Vegetation-based interventions"  

E-mail: aacred@fosterandpartners.com 

SOLOCLIM Early Stage Researcher No.1

Hosted by Wageningen University (NL) and Zinco company (DE)

PhD SUPERVISORY TEAM:

• Sanda Lenzholzer (Wageningen University)
• Joan Cortesao (Wageningen University)
• Ralf Walker (ZinCo)
• Martin Holland (ZinCo)

Maricruz is a researcher for the European Industrial doctorate project SOLOCLIM and a PhD candidate at Wageningen University. Previously, she obtained an MSc in Sustainable Building Performance and Design from Oxford Brookes University where she received the Hodgkinson award scholarship. Maricruz has worked in architecture on a wide range of projects from housing developments, commercial, educational, healthcare, and mixed buildings in London and Costa Rica. She has developed throughout her career, a strong interest in sustainability and exploring the potential of green walls systems and its effect on the urban climate.

E-mail:  maricruz.solerajimenez@wur.nl

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maricruz-solera/

SOLOCLIM Early Stage Researcher No.2

Hosted by Wageningen University (NL) and Foster+Partners company (UK)

PhD SUPERVISORY TEAM:

• Sanda Lenzholzer (Wageningen University)
• Agnes Patuano (Wageningen University)
• Bardia Mashhoodi (Wageningen University)
• Irene Gallou (Foster+Partners)
• Laura Narvaez Zertuche (Foster+Partners)
• Andy Acred (Foster+Partners)

Yehan is a PhD candidate at the landscape architecture group of Wageningen University. With a master’s degree in Sustainability Science from the University of Tokyo, Yehan has research experience about public perceptions of green infrastructure from a sustainability perspective. Yehan has also joined international projects on urban liveability and urban equitable mobility. Her current research focuses on the effect of parks on urban climate by combining design and research methods.

E-mail:  yehan.wu@wur.nl

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yehanwu/Twitter: https://twitter.com/yehanwu 

SOLOCLIM Early Stage Researcher No.3

Hosted by Politecnico di Milano (IT) and Arcadis company (NL)

PhD SUPERVISORY TEAM:

• Valentina Maddalena Dessi (Politecnico di Milano)
• Renzo Rosso (Politecnico di Milano)
• Eugenio Morello (Politecnico di Milano)
• Matteo Clementi (Politecnico di Milano)
• Verali von Meijenfeldt  (Arcadis)
• Marjan de Braber (Arcadis)
• Luc Cartigny (Arcadis)
• Michel Moens (Arcadis)

Adrián is an architect and urbanist with a balanced mix between practical and theoretical experiences. He has several years researching, managing projects, and promoting innovative, multidisciplinary, and tailor-made solutions-oriented to achieve sustainable development. During his carrier, he has worked with international organizations, academic institutions, foundations, and the public and private sectors. He has an MSc degree in urban management and development, specialized in the urban environment, sustainability and climate change; and holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture. He has authored and co-author publications in the sectors of adequate housing and sustainable development goals, water-energy nexus and climate change mitigation/adaptation. As an architect he has worked in the built environment, using low impact and innovative construction materials, technologies, and techniques to achieve low-carbon and sustainable practices. Meanwhile, in the urban and territorial context, promoting the integration of public spaces, ecosystem services and climate adaptation schemes. 

E-mail: adrian.moredia@polimi.it

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrian-moredia-valek/ 

 SOLOCLIM Early Stage Researcher No.4

Hosted by Politecnico di Milano (IT) and Arcadis company (NL)

PhD SUPERVISORY TEAM:

• Valentina Maddalena Dessi (Politecnico di Milano)
• Renzo Rosso (Politecnico di Milano)
• Eugenio Morello (Politecnico di Milano)
• Matteo Clementi (Politecnico di Milano)
• Verali von Meijenfeldt  (Arcadis)
• Marjan de Braber (Arcadis)
• Luc Cartigny (Arcadis)
• Michel Moens (Arcadis)

Mariana is an associate researcher for the SOLOCLIM programme and a PhD candidate at the Politecnico di Milano. In 2019, she graduated from a Joint-Master’s Degree in Urban Planning and Public Health from Harvard University, where she pursued the new track in Sustainability, Human Health, and Global Environmental Change. From 2017 to 2019, Mariana was a fellow at the Harvard University Center for the Environment and obtained a certificate in Energy & Environment. Before attending Harvard University, Mariana was an International Fox-Zucker Fellow at Yale University, where she took courses at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies on water resources management, environmental policy, biogeochemistry, and urban ecology. Mariana has a double bachelor’s in Architecture and Urbanism and Civil Engineering from the University of São Paulo, Brazil. Enthusiastic about the topic of water and green infrastructure, Mariana is eager to gain new skills in thermal comfort and urban climate simulation. Her research currently focuses on how water-based solutions can better be used in cities to counter the urban heat island effect and the deadly consequences of heatwaves in the urban environment. Her mission is to promote cities that are healthier, sustainable, and more inclusive. 

E-mail: mariana.pereira@polimi.it

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianapguimaraes/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mpg_guimaraes 

SOLOCLIM Early Stage Researcher No.5

Hosted by the University of Kent (UK) and Carlo Ratti Associati company (IT)

PhD SUPERVISORY TEAM:

• Marialena Nikolopoulou (University of Kent)
• Richard Watkins (University of Kent)
• Juan Carlos Romero (Carlo Ratti Associati)
• Monika Löve (Carlo Ratti Associati)
• Andrea Cassi (Carlo Ratti Associati)
• Antonio Atripaldi (Carlo Ratti Associati)

Sinéad graduated from an MSc in Advanced Ecological Building through the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia in 2019 focusing on metabolic systems within the built environment. This masters brought together both her interest in environmental sciences and design and strengthened her interest in technology as a tool for resilient design. The 2019 class's collective final project - a self-sufficient tiny house - has since been awarded bronze in The Design That Educates Awards. Her previous study has included a Bachelor of Environments (Urban Design) and Diploma in Global Issues with the University of Melbourne. In between study she has spent many years exploring the world and experiencing up close the effect of climate change particularly in South Asia where she worked in disaster response projects in the Philippines and Nepal. Her approach to design comes from a problem-solving mindset and an interdisciplinary background. Interests include bio-mimicry, resilience and the inclusion of indigenous knowledge in sustainable design. She is passionate about creating more sustainable and livable cities in the face of climate change, with her current focus on climate responsive systems in an urban setting.

E-mail: skn26@kent.ac.uk

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sinead-nicholson-aa7b56189/ 

SOLOCLIM Early Stage Researcher No.6

Hosted by the University of Kent (UK) and Carlo Ratti Associati company (IT)

PhD SUPERVISORY TEAM:

• Marialena Nikolopoulou (University of Kent)
• Giridharan Renganathan (University of Kent)
• Juan Carlos Romero (Carlo Ratti Associati)
• Monika Löve (Carlo Ratti Associati)
• Andrea Cassi (Carlo Ratti Associati)
• Antonio Atripaldi (Carlo Ratti Associati)

Marika graduated in Architectural Engineering at the University of Trento, where she attended a five-year program on architecture, urban planning, and engineering. This multidisciplinary formation permitted her to acquire the technical creativity that she tested on the occasion of some design and build projects, in collaboration with other students. In her Master Thesis, she proposed a climate adaptation plan developed by coupling the urban planning practice with the meteorological modelling potential. She also spent an exchange period at the Technical University of Munich, where she gathered different perspectives about her research. With her work, she aims to promote urban adaptation and improve outdoor climate conditions with a multi-scale approach. She has developed a great interest in analysis and modelling instruments, which can support the design process and contribute to the evaluation of the proposal’s effectiveness. After a brief working experience in landscape planning, she has decided to go further with her research on the integration of climate adaptation strategies in master planning.

E-mail: mt622@kent.ac.uk
LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/in/marika-tomasi