PhD-student "Assessment framework for low-energy cooling solutions in the built environment"

The Building Physics and Sustainable Design group in the Department of Civil Engineering at the Ghent Campus has 4 research lines:
1. Energy performance and indoor climate (SDG 7, 13): Interaction building and HVAC systems
2. Technology of renewable construction materials (SDG 12): timber construction and use of organic fibres
3. Community scale sustainability & sustainable development (SDG 1, 3, 11): social and ecological sustainability of buildings and communities
4. Methods for holistic design, construction and operation of high performance buildings: Circular bio-based construction industry (SDG 9, 12), Life cycle analysis (SDG 12), Building Information Modelling - Improved process management, Commissioning, building management and monitoring

This job vacancy is situated within the 1st research line.
This PhD will be supervised together with dr. Dung Ngo from Hanoi University of Civil Engineering (Vietnam)

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Project

Within the "building physics and sustainable design" section at KU Leuven, we developed an assessment framework for thermal resilience to overheating in buildings within the framework of IEA EBC Annex 80 "resilient cooling of buildings". At neighbourhood and block scales, we defined a framework for identification of neighbourhood typologies (including built form, green and blue networks) and  highlighted characteristics of a neighbourhood design to achieve high outdoor thermal comfort level. A great deal of research on urban cooling has been performed internationally on both separate levels of building and neighbourhood. However, there is still a high demand for studies on the interaction between the building and its built / surrounding environment (block scale), which ensures the optimization of cooling solutions. With the focus of connection between individual buildings and block, two main research questions for this PhD are:

• How to assess the performances of these cooling solutions in terms of users’ thermal comfort during the outdoor-indoor transient condition?

• What are interesting/ adequate/ potential passive cooling solutions that best fit building and block scales?

This PhD fits within the new IEA EBC Annex proposal "Sustainable Cooling of Cities" (under development), and the ambition of Global Cooling Pledge, an initiative raised in the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) to cope with increasing deadly heat worldwide.

The PhD-student will also cooperate in the Interreg Flanders-The Netherlands project "Sustainable Summer Comfort"

Profile

• You obtained (with minimum distinction) a Master's degree in Civil Engineering Technology or a Master's degree in Engineering Sciences with a speciality in Civil Engineering or Architecture
• You are motivated to write an application for a grant for a PhD fellowship for strategic basic research at FWO (see https://www.fwo.be/en/fellowships-funding/phd-fellowships/phd-fellowship-strategic-basic-research/)
• You are interested in thermal comfort and cooling in the built environment. Expertise in this research field is a plus.
• Excellent writing and presentation skills and a good knowledge of English are crucial. 
• You have a strong analytical ability and a sense of synthesis.
• Modelling skills in energy simulation in buildings and neighbourhoods/urban is a plus.
• You can work independently, but also well in a team and show sufficient initiative.
• You are motivated to work within the research project "Sustainable summer comfort" within the Interreg Flanders-The Netherlands programme (see: https://interregvlaned.eu/duurzaam-zomercomfort/over-ons)
• You are motivated to join the IEA EBC Annex "Sustainable Cooling of Cities" (once started)

Offer

We offer 100% employment for 2 yearss. In order to obtain funding for the full PhD-period of 4 years, the candidate is expected (with the support of the supervisors), to develop an application PhD fellowship for strategic basic research at FWO (see https://www.fwo.be/en/fellowships-funding/phd-fellowships/phd-fellowship-strategic-basic-research/).

Interested?

For more information please contact Prof. dr. ir. Hilde Breesch, mail: hilde.breesch@kuleuven.be.

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