Smart City Innovations and Experiments using New Climate and Energy Simulations

2026-07-22

As most of the world’s population lives in urban areas, cities play a key role in the use of energy resources and public well-being. The quality of life in cities, as well as the consumption of energy, is highly compromised by the heat they release and the Green House Gases (GHGs) they emit. For this reason, Horizon Europe and other international organizations are committed to supporting research and innovation for the development of climate-neutral and smart cities. Solutions to improve outdoor thermal comfort and reduce GHGs in cities could be more comprehensively studied if physically-based models simulating interactions between buildings and the outdoor environment were integrated into Smart City Digital Twins (SCDTs). The integration of physically-based models into SCDTs is still encountering difficulties, however, and in my research, I propose to overcome these by: 1) automatically configuring a physically-based model from a 3D city model and an Internet of Things (IoT) platform; 2) using statistical models in concurrence with the physically-based model; and 3) simulating temperature, air flow, humidity, and GHGs in the outdoor air, using the physically-based model. While conducting my research at Carnegie Mellon University and Technical University of Delft, I will diversify my skills and competencies through training activities and through the transfer of knowledge from my supervisors. Together, these will enable me to become a world leader in applying urban microclimate modelling to SCDTs. I will also gain experience in team management and teaching to achieve my career goals in academia. Finally, the collaboration with host organizations and one company in Europe will allow me to extend my professional network in the United States, Europe, and industry.

Netherlands

2025-10-01