I have always been passionate about my research and teaching but it gradually became obvious to me that developing and managing others brings the greatest enjoyment in my professional life. What I particularly enjoy in my management roles is to nurture the development of staff and students which often involves paying attention to individual needs and advocacy for equality and inclusivity. I was the Chair of De Montfort University’s Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Media Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee and was a member of UCL’s Bartlett Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team. I recently led the successful bid for the first ever Royal Academy of Engineering Diversity Impact award “Access to High Profile Jobs: Closing the Gap’.
My previous management experience includes being Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Built Environment at the University of Derby, Academic Director for the UK Centre for Moisture in Buildings (UKCMB) at UCL as well as research project leadership as principal or co-investigator including large multi-million European projects. In recognition of my management skills, I was selected twice to participate in elective leadership programmes: first in 2016 to attend UCL’s Women in Leadership Programme designed for female staff at grades 9 and 10 and then in 2018 to participate in De Montfort University's Leader Programme aimed at all staff at senior management positions including Directorates.
During my academic career I contributed towards over 20 research, consultancy and scholarly projects. As a PI and Co-I I always successfully managed the research activities. I am particularly proud of successful turning around multimillion H2020 POWER project failing (having all but one output returned and payment withhold) to an award winning project after I was asked to take the PI role. My areas of research expertise include building operational efficiency, data integration and building information modelling (BIM), energy management, and holistic building modelling. I have published over 60 papers of which 29 are in peer reviewed international journals. My papers were part of UCL’s Bartlett REF 2014 submission and part of DMU’s REF 2021submission. I supervised 6 PhD students to completion.
I have over 30 years of genuinely enjoyable teaching experience in the Higher Education sector across Europe on all levels and forms. I am a Higher Education Academy Senior Fellow. In 2013 myself as a Course Director with colleagues teaching this course won the UCL Provost’s Teaching Award (Team category). My teaching was always informed by my research and over the course of my lecturing career I co-authored around 18 papers with my UG and PGT which led to me being invited to write a chapter for UCL’s book Research Equals Teaching, R=T.
Working in a number of different European Universities (Belgrade, Denmark Technical, Norwegian Technical, Liege, Loughborough, De Montfort, Anglia Ruskin, UCL, Derby), I have developed excellent interpersonal and communication skills, enabling effective liaison with different international partners.
Research Projects, Collaborations and Funding
Co-I: project “Developing a five-year roadmap of aerospace, bioengineering, and artificial intelligence twinned research” funded by UKRI (April-August 2023; grant value £88,500)
PI: “Access to High Profile Jobs: Closing the Gap” funded by Royal Academy of Engineering Impact Award (June 2022- Sep 2023, grant value £95,306)
Co-I on DAPHNE JACKSON FELLOWSHIP “Newly-developed catalysts for environmentally friendly catalytic processes” (2021-2023; grant value £50,577)
PI (from Summer 2018-2020): POWER H2020 project funded by ICT Programme with aim of developing of digital social platform for raising awareness about sustainability issues but above all those related to water (2016-2020, grant value €3.75MIL)
PI/Academic adviser: two-year KTP project with KSBC PLC on developing technology certification process for non-domestic premises (2017-2019, grant value £193,767)
CASE PhD funding on the development of certification methodology which will assess existing and new commercial buildings in relation to their capacity to prvide technical services (IT & Communication Infrastructure, Connectivity, Wifi, Mobile Signal, Security and Comms room) taking into account both business needs, building design characteristics and location specifics (2016-2019, grant value £68,567).
UCL Global Engagement Office (GEO) award to organise a one-day meeting, bringing together world-leading experts towards development of a Research and Educational roadmap in the fields of BIM (Building Information Modelling) and linked building data aiming at developing a collaborator network. (2016, £1,000)
PI on the TSB’s Innovation Voucher funded project on the development of a BIM compatible data-templates for building services (2014, grant value £5,000).
Academic Supervisor on Knowledge Exchange Associate (Dr Homeira Shayesteh) placement in Autodesk working on COBIe data drop points for Autodesk future BIM software olutions for Facility Management (2013, grant value £20,000)
PI ”EmergingTOGETHERScience for Efficient Buildings” project funded under Bartlett Grand Challenges Small Grant Scheme with the primary goal to initiate academic cooperation within Bartlett and wider UCL by the means of workshops which would lead to a new approach in building design and operation based on complex system theory, (2012, grant value £4,764).
Co-I “Low Carbon Housing Innovation” (2011-2014) had successfully passed the Concept Stage under the ERDF 2nd Housing Call and is invited for a full business case submission. The primary goal of the project is to maximise learning and demonstration opportunities to ensure that SMEs can fully integrate the housing demonstration results into their business practices. Efficient project management of the retrofitting of demonstration houses will be showcased in order to develop a working replicable, adaptable model to inspire the SMEs. The lead partner was Creative Environmental Networks Ltd (CEN), which is an environmental, non-profit, organisation. The total value of the project is £1.17m and the ERDF intervention rate is 40%.
Co-I SmartLIFE Change for Life (2010-2013) £72000 ERDF funded project investigating solutions towards affordable low carbon social housing refurbishments in the East of England. The project will deliver a whole house retrofit solution to non-traditional style houses built in the late1940s that were subsequently clad by Fenland District Council. The approach will be a holistic one taking into account all aspects contributing towards CO2 emission reduction, % SAP increase, and actual fuel saving for each household. The project is led by Cambridgeshire County Council with total value of £800K with ERDF intervention rate of 40%.
Co-I CITYNET (2006-2010) FP6 Marie Curie Research Training Network (RTN) with scientific focus aimed at development of tools to improve the energy management of large scale urban settlements. The common scope of the network research activities is to establish an innovative internet based on-line tool for planning, managing and operating urban quarters with low energy consumption and high renewable energy fraction. Consortium of 8 Universities from 7 different countries, (University of Strathclyde, De Montfort, Politecnico di Torino, University of Applied Science Stuttgart, Istanbul Technical University, Universitat Rovira I Virgili, Opole Technical University, University College Dublin)PI Professor Ursula Eicker
Researcher; Carbon Reduction in Buildings (CaRB) (2005-2009) where I was in charge of developing a model for year-round energy consumption in non-domestic buildings at the community level as part of the socio-technical, longitudinal study of carbon use in buildings; PIs Professors Kevin Lomas and Tadj Oreszczyn, funded by the EPSRC, Carbon Trust and ESRC
Researcher; Heat transfer and airflow in multifunctional facades (2003-2006); where the objective was to develop thermal and airflow models using CFD and component-based modelling techniques of facades consisting of photovoltaic panels, advanced glazing and control devices, PI Professor Vic Hanby EPSRC-funded project within the Faraday Partnership INREB
Co-I; FLEXHEAT (2002-2004) FP6 project on developing cost-effective, fuel-flexible, efficient and clean burners for domestic heating systems via fully-validated advanced modelling and design tools. I was mainly in charge of day-to-day project management, communication with international partners and younger researcher briefings, PI Professor Miroljub Adzic
Co-I “The feasibility analysis of the turbines and gas motors implementation in combined heat and power stations in a residential sector” (2002-2004), Serbian Ministry of Science and Technology funded research project was looking into energy efficient ways of district heating plants retrofit.
Researcher: “A Rule-based Supervisory Control of Naturally Ventilated Buildings”, (1999-2001) The project objectives were to develop and implement a portable rule-based controller for naturally ventilated buildings and to investigate its effectiveness in maintaining comfortable indoor conditions by carrying out experimental measurements in a single-sided naturally ventilated test room, EPSRC funded.
Researcher ASHRAE Primary Toolkit, (1996-1999), Library of HVAC primary systems first principle models; PI Professor Jean Lebrun; ASHRAE funded
PI “Parameter identification and mathematical modelling of greenhouse thermo-physical characteristics” which was part of the larger research platform grant Greenhouse as an energy system (‘94-‘98); funded by Serbian Ministry of Science and Technology
Researcher; “Fundamental and applied research relevant to the development of renewable energy sources”, (‘91-‘95); funded by Serbian Ministry of Science and Technology
Researcher; “Energy efficiency and conservation – development of the new strategies for energy usage in buildings and thermal processes”, (‘91-‘93); funded by Serbian Ministry of Science and Technology
Researcher; “Energy Efficiency 2000” (later on Energy Efficiency 21) (94-99), funded by UN Economical and Social Council
Guest Researcher at Norwegian University of Science and Technology in 1995 sponsored by Soros Fund scholarship
Guest researcher at Technical University of Denmark 1989-1990 working with late professor Fanger on the modelling of sorption processes of TVOCs in air conditioned spaces and on Indoor Air Quality field studies consisting of on-site measurements and questionnaire surveys.
Consultancy
At Anglia Ruskin University, I had three consultancy contracts (total value of £5000): two under i10’s Low Carbon Vouchers scheme and one under East of England Development Agency Innovation Vouchers scheme looking into ways in which pre-fabricated roof insulated panels will utilize excess heat from the attic areas, 2009.
National Federation of Property Professionals exam board member for the commercial building energy assessor qualification (2008-2009)
As Senior Research Fellow at De Montfort University, I led two consultancy projects on Energy Efficiency Assessments for Environmental Agency Office Buildings in Lincoln and Kettering, total value around £5500, 2008.
Whilst at the University of Liege, I worked on consultancy project on prediction and simulation of the new EU Parliament Building in Brussels cooling plant with ice storage power demand under different control strategies using first principle based steady-state models developed in EES (Engineering Equation Software), 1999.
1993 I was a member of a research team funded by an industrial partner (Gosa) looking into design and implementation of air conditioning units in train coaches.
