I earned both a BS and MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. My graduate studies at Berkeley were under the Engineering and Project Management (EPM) program. While at Berkeley I also participated in the Engineering and Business for Sustainability program, which is a multi-disciplinary collaboration between the College of Engineering, Haas School of Business, Energy and Resources Group, Goldman School of Public Policy, College of Natural Resources, School of Public Health, and School of Law.
I continued my graduate education with the University of Texas at Austin, where I received a PhD in Civil Engineering. My dissertation work involved the development of a thermal storage system that incorporates PCM (phase change material) for high density latent thermal energy storage. This system results in thermal storage densities 2 to 7 times that of conventional chilled water-based thermal storage systems. The design produces acceptable heat recovery rates for HVAC use and can be utilized for residential and small commercial retrofit applications. The design is the subject of a provisional U.S. patent, number 62345564 “HIGH-DENSITY LATENT HEAT STORAGE DEVICE”.
I am currently a postdoctoral fellow with the University of Texas at Austin in the Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering. My present research involves the study of building energy use and indoor air quality issues related to residential, small commercial, and portable school buildings.
My research interests include: the reduction or time-shifting of building energy loads to periods when renewable or low-carbon energy is available; PCM-based thermal storage systems; improving the performance of building envelope systems; developing new methods to characterize building spaces; The integration of advanced controls and sensors in building environmental systems; and investigating the effects of building energy conservation efforts on indoor air quality.