Academic Forum 2017
On 2 May 2017, the 4th VELUX Daylight Academic Forum was held at Technische Universität Berlin. A total of 22 PhD students from 10 countries met to share their current research projects with a panel of other fellow PhD students and a panel of leading scientific experts from around the world.
The Academic Forum was held in connection with the biennial VELUX Daylight Symposium. The aim of the forum was to provide an opportunity for PhD students to discuss their current research projects and to receive critical feedback at an early stage of a research project. The forum creates space and time for students to discuss research methodology and how they can arrive at better results with their experiments.
The format of the VELUX Academic Forum allows students to network within and discover the breadth of the daylight research field. Each student was invited to present a brief overview of their research to all attendees and experts. Students were then placed in workshop groups where they made in-depth presentations of their research and received constructive feedback on the methodological aspects of their work.
Supervisors
Alex Rosemann
Eindhoven University of Technology, NL
Professor Alex Rosemann is an architect and lighting designer based in the Netherlands. He holds a MSc in Architecture from Delft University of Technology and has over 10 years of professional experience in the field of architectural lighting.
Throughout his career, he has worked on a wide range of projects in various sectors, including public spaces, offices, museums, and residential buildings. His expertise lies in creating unique lighting designs that combine functionality with aesthetics and enhance the overall experience of the built environment.
Kevin Houser
Professor, Penn State University, US
Kevin Houser (PhD, PE, FIES, LC, LEED AP) is a professor at Oregon State University, editor-in-chief of LEUKOS, the journal of the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES), and co-founder of Lyralux, Inc. He has published more than 125 publications about light and lighting. He has won the CIBSE Leon Gaster Award, IES Taylor Technical Talent Award three times, the IES Presidential Award, and is a Fellow of IES. His recent work focuses on human perceptual and biological responses to optical radiation and the application of that knowledge to the spectral design of light sources.
Steve Fotios
Professor, University of Sheffield, UK
Steve Fotios, PhD, I am professor of lighting and visual perception in the School of Architecture at the University of Sheffield (UK) where I lead research of lighting and its effects on human behaviour – our evaluations of the lit environment and our ability to see – currently with a focus on lighting for pedestrians. I enjoy working with PhD students, and in particular encouraging them to consider methods before results . A long standing desire to help students in this way was realised after a chance meeting with Jens Christoffersen, and this lead to establishing the Academic Forum and LumeNet, annual workshops discussing daylight and lighting (in its broader sense) in alternate years.
John Mardaljevic
Professor, Loughborough University, UK
John Mardaljevic (PhD, FSLL) is Professor of Building Daylight Modelling at the School of Civil & Building Engineering, Loughborough University. Mardaljevic pioneered what is now known as Climate-Based Daylight Modelling. Founded on rigorous validation work, CBDM is now the basis for research and, increasingly, industry practice worldwide. Mardaljevic’s practice-based research and consultancy includes major projects such as the New York Times Building and The Hermitage (St. Petersburg). He currently serves as the ‘UK Principal Expert on Daylight’ for the European Committee for Standardisation CEN / TC 169 WG11, and on a number of International Commission on Illumination (CIE) technical committees. In 2012 Mardaljevic was presented the annual UK lighting award by the Society for Light and Lighting (SLL). He is CIE-UK Representative for Division 3 (Interior Environment).
Werner Osterhaus
Professor, Aarhus University, DK
Werner Osterhaus is an architect and Professor of Lighting Design Research at the Department of Engineering at Aarhus University in Denmark. His passion lies in applying design, technology and science to architectural (day)lighting to ensure well-being and pleasant experiences for building occupants and a sustainable built environment. Werner has been involved in daylighting research and design since he first started working with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Windows and Daylighting research group in 1987. Since 1994, he has been a full-time academic in schools of architecture in the USA, New Zealand and Germany, and since 2009 in a school of engineering in Denmark.
Dr. J. Alstan Jakubiec
Singapore University of Technology and Design, SG
At SUTD, Dr. Alstan Jakubiec instructs courses on architectural energy systems, urban sustainability, and lighting design. In addition, he heads the Design for Climate and Comfort Lab, which consists of a team of researchers committed to enhancing the quality of the built environment and reducing energy consumption through the use of passive environmental techniques. Dr. Jakubiec's research focuses on a variety of topics, including natural daylighting, energy efficiency, designing comfortable buildings, and urban sustainability metrics.
Dr. Martine Knoop
Technische Universität Berlin, DE
Martine Knoop (PhD), is Lecturer at the Chair of Lighting Technology, Technische Universität Berlin, Germany. In this role, she is responsible for research and education on daylighting, indoor lighting and colorimetry. Since 2013, Martine is chair of the CIE technical committee dealing with the benefits of daylighting. This work is linked to her own research project, looking into the unique characteristics of daylight responsible for the user preference for this light source, in order to promote and improve daylight design, as well as to develop new adaptive electric lighting solutions, to enhance user well-being and performance in indoor spaces.
Dr. Jens Christoffersen
VELUX Group, DK
Jens Christoffersen (PhD), has for many years been involved in national, international and European research programmes on Light and Daylight while working at the Danish Building Research Institute. In 2010 he joined the VELUX Group where he works in the Daylight, Energy and Indoor Climate group, which role within the VELUX Group is to be a knowledge and competence centre in the area of daylight, energy and indoor climate – related to the effects of VELUX products in buildings.
Dr. Jan Wienold
École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, CH
Dr. Jan Wienold is a research and Teaching associate École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne. His expertise lie in sustainable architecture with a focus on daylighting, visual comfort, integrated design, and zero energy buildings, with a particular emphasis on the role of daylight in creating comfortable and energy-efficient indoor environments.
Location
The 2017 Symposium took place at Hauptgebäude der Technische Universität Berlin. The Main Building of the Technical University of Berlin, is a historic landmark located in the heart of the city. Completed in 1884, the building serves as the main administrative and academic centre of the university, which is one of the largest and most prestigious technical universities in Germany. The building has undergone several renovations over the years to maintain its historic charm while also accommodating modern facilities and technology. Today, the Hauptgebäude remains a symbol of the university's rich history and commitment to academic excellence.
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