Marialena Nikolopoulou

Professor of Sustainable Architecture

Canterbury, England, United Kingdom

About

My research focuses on the wider area of sustainable architecture, urban microclimate, and comfort, regularly spanning across disciplinary boundaries bridging the gap between architecture, engineering, biometeorology and social sciences. I am particularly interested on users’ experience and interaction with different aspects of the environment through the climate adaptation lens, and ultimately how such understanding can inform the design process. In a warming climate, addressing our adaptive capacity and thermal resilience is critical not only for climate regulation and reduction of energy and CO2 emissions, but also for health, livability and social cohesion. My work on outdoor comfort has received awards from diverse bodies (from the Royal Institute of British Architects, to the International Society of Biometeorology) and best paper prizes, and has influenced understanding of the topic across the world, while more recent projects have received commendations and were shortlisted for design awards. I have been involved with various external committees and research evaluations in international panels, have held Visiting Professor positions at the University of Sydney (Australia) and Wageningen (Netherlands), and have been external advisor to various international projects. I have been an invited long-standing member of the EPSRC peer-review college and since 2021, Editor of the leading international journal ‘Building and Environment’.

Experience

  • Professor of Sustainable Architecture at University of Kent
    Jan 2011 - Present · 15 yrs 6 mos

    Director of Research Director of Research Centre for Architecture and Sustainable Environment (CASE) Programme Director: MSc in Architecture and Sustainable Environment

  • Visiting Professor at University of Sydney
    Aug 2023 - Sep 2023 · 2 mos

  • Deputy Head of School at Kent School of Architecture & Planning
    May 2019 - Aug 2022 · 3 yrs 4 mos

  • Director of Research Unit for the Engineering and Design of Environments at University of Bath
    2004 - Jan 2011 · 7 yrs 1 mo

  • Research Associate at Centre for Renewable Energy Sources
    1999 - 2004 · 5 yrs

    Co-ordinator of EU FP5 Project RUROS: Rediscovering the Urban Realm and Open Spaces