CST Meet the team at Centre for Sustainable Technologies

Dr Caterina Brandoni

Senior Lecturer

Dr Caterina Brandoni (MEng, PhD) is lecturer in Energy at Ulster University since February 2014 and she is a member of the Centre for Sustainable Technologies. Her research focuses on energy and sustainable development. Her scientific activity contributes to three main research areas: i) energy and water nexus, ii) renewable energy system integration and optimisation and iii) energy policy and life cycle assessment. She is currently coordinator of the H2020-MSCA-RISE ALICE project on innovation in wastewater treatment plants to deal with climate change challenges.

She is also coordinator of the project “Gender, ageing and latency in the transition to a low-carbon system: empowering women as decision makers” funded by the UK Energy Research Centre Whole System Networking Fund.

She is co-investigator in SPIRE II, “Storage Platform for the Integration of Renewable Energy II”, an INTERREG project led by Ulster University looking at how energy storage technologies owned by homeowners and businesses can address the variability of intermittent renewable resources, such as wind and solar energy.

She was member of the editorial board of “Proceedings of Civil Engineers-Energy” from November 2015 to November 2019.

She is a member of EU Cost Action NEREUS 'New and Emerging challenges and opportunities in wastewater reuse'.

She has advised several Energy Strategy Plans of Italian local authorities for helping municipalities in becoming Sustainable Energy Communities.

Her complete list of publications can be found on Google Scholar.

Professor Philip Griffiths

Professor of Building Physics

Philip Griffiths has worked at Ulster University since 1994. He was appointed Professor of Building Physics in 2015. He is a fellow of the Higher Education Academy, teaches on undergraduate and postgraduate programmes across the school, undertakes research and supervises PhD students.
He holds an BSc in Resource Sciences, an MSc Energy in Buildings, a PhD in Applied Energy and PgC in Higher Education. He is a fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Philip is a building physicist, a fellow of both the Energy Institute the Institution of Civil Engineers and a Chartered Engineer, with a background in energy efficiency in buildings. He was initially employed at Ulster as a postdoc, during which time he researched novel vacuum glazing fabrication techniques using experimental performance testing and computer thermal modelling. Since 2000 his research focus was on novel use of phase change materials in buildings as energy storage, transport phenomena, and comfort conditioners. His research interests include low energy buildings, building retrofit, thermal comfort conditions and the circular economy. In recent years his research has expanded to look at the impact of buildings on health and wellbeing of building users and the use of post occupancy evaluation.

Philip has a track record of attracting significant EU and EPSRC funded research. He was one of two UK Experts on the EU ESF COST funded network Novel Phase Change Materials for Buildings and Renewable Energy Systems. He is currently one of two management committee members representing the UK on the EU COST Action circularb.eu which is seeking to implement a circular economy in the built environment. In this Action he is the Science Communication Officer and leads the work package on communication and dissemination.

Philip is the chair of the Energy Institute's Academic Accreditation Panel and a member of the institute's Professional Development Committee. He represents the Energy Institute's Northern Ireland regional committee on the Northern Ireland Parliament's All-Party Group on Science and Technology.

Professor Neil Hewitt

Professor/Director for Sustainable Technology

Neil J Hewitt was appointed Professor of Energy in 2008 and is Director of the Centre for Sustainable Technologies from 2008 until present. He is a Chartered Physicist and Chartered Engineer and is a member of the Institute of Physics, Institute of Refrigeration and the Energy Institute.

Professor Hewitt has initiated and worked on numerous significant European and UK Research Council funded research projects that have engaged academia, public and private bodies.

Professor Hewitt is an acknowledged expert in the field of heat pumps, both in their development and in their end-use, especially with energy storage in the emerging sector of demand side management. He has over 100 publications and is a regular invited conference speaker both nationally and abroad.

Professor Hewitt, in addition to membership of a number of editorial boards, is a memner of IEA Heat Pump Tasks and is a UK representative of the International Institute of Refrigeration Commission B2 Refrigerating Machinery.

Professor Ming Jun Huang

Professor

Professor Ye Huang

Professor

Prof. Ye Huang is a Professor of Clean Coal Technologies at Ulster University. He is a Member of the Energy Institute, a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.  He has specific technical expertise in carbon capture and storage, energy system modelling and simulation and fossil fuel power plant optimisation and control.

He has 30 years’ experience with scenario analyses of fossil fuel combustion. He has wide experience in establishing multi-partner collaborative projects to develop and exploit fossil fuel and biomass/waste (including co-utilisation) technologies, covering all aspects of techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment studies. He also has extensive experience of coal gasification, including defining Carbon Capture and Storage strategies. He has worked on a number of projects in the area of clean coal technologies and renewable energy applications funded by the EU, SFI and the EPSRC, etc.

Examples of personal major research activities include the EU FP7 DECARBIT and SCARLET projects, the EU RFCS DIRPRIMCOAL and LIG2LIQ projects, the EU H2020 CLARA project and the EU INTERREG VA Programme – SPIRE I and II. He has published over 51 high impact journal articles and 35 conference proceedings and technical reports since 2006.

Dr Trevor Hyde

Reader

Trevor is a Reader in the School of the Built Environment and is Course Director for the BSc (Hons) Building Surveying part-time program. He works within the Centre for Sustainable Technologies with specific expertise in advanced glazing and façade systems and is a Core member of the Built Environment Research Institute. He has a degree in Construction Engineering and Management and a PhD in Timber Engineering from Ulster University.

His broad research interests are in improving the energy efficiency of buildings and has worked on a wide range of research projects funded by the EPSRC, RCUK, Invest NI, SFI, and the EU and by industrial collaborators. Current and recent research projects include developments in advanced vacuum glazing and façade systems, multifunctional glazing incorporating building integrated photovoltaics, building integrated solar thermal systems, evaluation of novel and high performance insulation systems and retrofit solutions for domestic housing stock. He leads Ulster's development, fabrication and characterisation of advanced low heat loss vacuum glazing and façade systems and has made extensive practical contributions which have contributed to several patents for novel sealing mechanisms for vacuum glazing and concentrating photovoltaic evacuated glazing systems.

Dr Patrick Keatley

Lecturer in Energy Policy and Infrastructure

Professor Jayanta Mondol

Research Director - Architecture, Built Environment & Planning

Jayanta Mondol is a Professor in Solar Energy Technologies and the Research Director at the Belfast School of Architecture and the Built Environment since 2019. He successfully led the submission for the Architecture Built Environment and Planning (UoA13) category in the REF2021 evaluation. Prior to his current role, he served as the Course Director for the BEng (Hons) Architectural Engineering and BEng (Hons) Energy and Building Services Engineering programs at Ulster University, where he played an instrumental role in the development of the Architectural Engineering program.

He holds a BSc (Hons) and MSc in Physics from Visva Bharati University, India, and an MTech in Energy Science and Technology from Jadavpur University, India. He completed his PhD at Ulster University in 2004. Prior to joining the academic position in 2008, he served as an RCUK Academic Research Fellow.

He is an esteemed member of several professional organisations including the Energy Institute, the Institute of Physics, and the International Solar Energy Society. He is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

His research interests focus on solar energy technologies, energy efficiency in buildings, multifunctional building facades, off-grid solar systems, energy system modelling and net-zero carbon buildings. He has successfully coordinated numerous multidisciplinary research projects, fostering collaborations with industry partners, academic institutions, and national and local stakeholders. His research has attracted extensive research funding from prestigious funding bodies such as EPSRC, Invest Northern Ireland, Royal Society, UK India Education and Research Initiative, Innovate UK, InterTradeIreland, and the EU. Notably, he served as the Project Manager and Principal Investigator for projects like 'SolaFin2Go' and 'SolaNetwork,' which were funded by EPSRC and Innovate UK.

Jayanta has served as the Work Group leader for the EU COST Action project (TU1205) and a working group member for the Bio-Energy action plan in Northern Ireland. He is an active member of the Climate Emergency Committee for The Royal Society of Ulster Architects (RUSA). He is a member of the Editorial Board for the Journal of Renewable Energy and Sustainable Buildings Journal. He has also contributed as a Guest Editor for several special issues of esteemed journals. Furthermore, he is recognised as a technical and scientific committee member for various international conferences. His expertise is valued as a regular reviewer for more than 30 international journals.

Jayanta has published extensively in reputable peer-reviewed journals, conference proceedings, and edited book chapters. Additionally, he has contributed to over 20 research reports for industrial-led research projects. His outstanding work has been recognised with awards at international conferences, such as WREC, ISES and EUROSUN.

Dr Nikhil Shah

Lecturer in Energy & Building Services

Dr Nikhilkumar Shah is a Lecturer in Energy & Building Services at Ulster University. He has over 10 years of experience in the field of energy and holds a BEng in Mechanical Engineering from Gujarat University (India), an MSc in Energy Systems from FH-Aachen (Germany), and a PhD in Diesel engine-driven heat pump incorporated with waste heat recovery from Ulster University (UK). Nikhil is a Certified Energy Auditor (CEA) (from AEE), a PRINCE2 Certified project management practitioner, and holds F-Gas CAT1 certification.

Nikhil's research interests include industrial/domestic heat pumps, lubrication, energy storage, system integration, energy efficiency, and engine testing. He is inspired to implement his research in Waste reduction, waste to energy, circular economy, smart communities/cities and sustainability. He is currently focusing on nanomaterials/fluids and their application in renewable technologies such as PVT, heat pumps, energy storage and others. Nikhil has secured funding (as PI/CoI) from prestigious funding bodies such as EPSRC, Royal Society, UK India Education and Research Initiative, EU (Horizon 2020), and Invest Northern Ireland.

Nikhil has published his research in international journals, conferences, and seminars, and he is a reviewer for several international journals. He has participated in IEA annexes on heat pumps. Nikhil is a member of the Institute of Refrigeration and a fellow of the higher education academy. He is also passionate about using AI and other tools for student engagement, inclusion, assessments, and lifelong learning. Nikhil has acted as the course director of the MSc Energy Storage programme for a brief period and is an academic mentor for first-year students in the Energy and Architectural Engineering programmes.

Nikhil's passion lies in using renewable and efficient technology at low cost to provide end-point solutions that positively impact people's lives. He believes in incorporating real-life learning into teaching, making him an excellent mentor for students who aspire to make a difference.

Dr Inna Vorushylo

Lecturer in Energy Markets and Energy Storage

Dr Inna Vorushylo is a lecturer in energy markets and energy storage in the School of the Built Environment, where she gained a PhD in techno-economic modelling of all Ireland Electricity System. She also holds BSc and MSc degrees in Electronic Engineering, as well as BSc in Economics, which she gained at the National Technical University of Ukraine "Kyiv Polytechnic Institute".

Dr Vorushylo's expertise straddles fields of Engineering and Economics and specific applications of these to energy markets. Dr Vorushylo possesses extensive knowledge and experience in the electricity market modelling.

Dr Vorushylo's most recent areas of research are the future role of energy storage systems and demand side response in the pathways towards energy market decarbonisation. She also coordinated “Zero-in on NI heat” project under Whole systems networking fund of the UK Energy Research Council focusing on barriers and opportunities for heat sector decarbonisation in Northern Ireland.

Dr Aggelos Zacharopoulos

Senior Lecturer

Aggelos Zacharopoulos is the Course Director of the BSc (Hons) in Energy at Ulster University and a core member of the Built Environment Research Institute. He works within the Centre for Sustainable Technologies (CST) with research expertise on solar thermal and PV systems (including concentrating), building integration of renewable energy technologies, multifunctional façade glazing systems and energy efficiency in industrial production processes. He has extensive experience in experimental characterisation under the large scale CST solar simulator.

Outside Ulster University, Aggelos is leading a working group of academics and researchers (EU COST Action TU1205) which aims to develop innovative building integrated solar thermal systems. He has supervised successful PhD projects in Ulster University and has examined PhD projects in other UK/international universities. He is a member of the editorial board of the Renewable Energy journal and has authored over 35 publications in peer reviewed journals, book contributions and conference proceedings.

Aggelos has a BSc (Hons) in Physics from the University of Patras (Greece). He was awarded his PhD in Design, Modelling and Experimental Characterisation of Line-axis Concentrators for Solar Thermal and PV Applications, by the Ulster University in 2001. In 2014 he became a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Dr Mervyn Smyth

Reader

Dr Mervyn Smyth obtained a 1st Class BEng (Hons) in Building Services Engineering and PhD for solar energy research both from Ulster University. Dr Smyth has over 7 years’ experience in the HVAC industry prior to taking up the position of Lecturer in Building Services Engineering at Ulster University, followed by a senior lecturer/teaching fellow position with the School of Architecture, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Dr Smyth has also held positions at Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia and Domaine Carneros Estate, USA.

He was promoted to Reader in Solar Thermal Technologies at Ulster University in 2008. Dr Mervyn Smyth was the NI Regional Chairman of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (2009 to 2012).

Dr Smyth has a particular interest in solar thermal systems and has been involved in the design, development, fabrication and evaluation of various types of solar water heating units. He has over 17 years of experience in the experimental characterisation of solar energy technologies under real and simulated conditions and has over 9 years in the integration of passive solar systems and agri-frost protection, conducting numerous field experiments.

In addition to his interest in solar thermal systems, he has also conducted research with PVs, energy and the wine industry, anaerobic digestion and building integrated solar.

Dr Smyth is the current vice chair of the TU1205 EU COST action on Building Integrated Solar Thermal Systems and the Director of SolaForm Ltd. He has authored over 65 publications to date, including his recently published book investigating the design principles of energy usage and solar augmentation in winery operation.

Dr Donal Cotter

Project Engineer (Heat Pump Projects)

Laura Fitzmaurice

EU Thematic Lead (Energy)

Dr Ruchira Ghosh

Research Associate in Acceptability Low Carbon Technologies

Dr Ruchira Ghosh is a Research Associate in acceptability of low carbon technologies in the School of the Built Environment. She acquired her PhD in Energy and Environment from TERI-SAS, India on the thesis titled “Reinvigorating Urban Water Planning using metabolism approach".

She holds BSc degree in Environmental and Water Management from Ranchi University, India and and MSc degree in Environmental Technologies from Banaras Hindu University, India.

Dr Ghosh has done projects in different topics of Sustainable development from urban metabolism, urban utility service provisioning, smart city development, sustainable energy challenges, socio-cultural adaptability and associated challenges towards climate change abatement. Her area of expertise involves exploring challenges of communities and society towards uptake of sustainable technologies like renewable energy options.

Dr Ghosh has worked on projects funded by different organisations like UKERC, CASE.

Recently, she has assisted in the project funded by United Kingdom Energy Research Council under whole system networking on barriers and opportunities for heat sector decarbonisation in Northern Ireland.

She was also involved in project funded by CASE on exploring geothermal possibility for heat network in Northern Ireland. She has done EPSRC event on ‘Solar Powered Community Gardens-Exploring opportunities in Northern Ireland’ involving local communities in Northern Ireland to understand their challenges towards wide uptake of renewable technology like solar panels for energy efficient communities.

Dr Valentina Gogulancea

Research Associate - Data Science

Marcio Fernandes Novaes

Research Assistant in Solar Collector Technologies

Dr Stephanie Ogunrin

Research Associate in Energy Modelling

Dr Stephanie Ogunrin is a research associate with Ulster University. She obtained her Bachelor of Science degree from Covenant University, Nigeria between 2009 and 2013. She later obtained her Masters of Art Architecture degree at Liverpool School of Architecture (LSA).

She has recently completed her PhD from the LSA Sustainable environments research unit. Her main research interests include residential thermal comfort, climate-resilient residential envelopes and domestic low carbon technologies.

Dr Adrian Pugsley

Lecturer in Electrical & Energy Engineering

Dr Angela Rolfe

Lecturer in Energy Systems Engineering

Dr Chiara Salaris

Lecturer in Building Surveying