Design and Operation of Net-Zero Smart Resilient Buildings and Infrastructure

Supervisory details

Supervisor: Andreas K Athienitis
Department: Building, Civil, and Environmental Engineering, Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science 
University: Concordia University, Montreal, Canada 
Start date: Flexible (Fall 2025, Winter 2026, Fall 2026) 
PhD Fellowship: 35K CAD per year for 4 years
Postdoc Fellowship: 50K CAD per year (renewable)

Project overview

This project develops and demonstrates resilient, carbon-neutral building and infrastructure energy systems that integrate onsite renewables, storage, EVs, and smart grid interaction. It emphasizes building-integrated photovoltaics, thermal storage, and advanced HVAC, with applications in new construction and retrofits. Outcomes include scalable, modular energy-positive designs and roadmaps to guide decarbonization of the built environment, influence policy, and enhance comfort, resilience, and aesthetics through integrated solar and thermal technologies.

Role description

• Design, install, and test liquid PV/T systems for water heating and infrastructure de-icing integrated with heat pumps and thermal storage.
• Develop and validate data-driven model-predictive control (MPC) strategies for optimizing building energy use with integrated renewable technologies.
• Create and evaluate test protocols for Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) and BIPV/T systems focusing on durability, safety, and performance.
• Use numerical simulation and simplified building models to optimize thermal performance and energy flexibility in smart grid-interactive buildings.
• Apply machine learning techniques for energy load forecasting, demand response, HVAC control optimization, and automated model calibration.
• Contribute to policy development and standards for net-zero building designs, solar microgrids, and scalable renewable energy integration.

Research areas

• Solar Energy Engineering
• Energy Efficiency
• Renewable energy
• Energy efficiency
• Integrated photovoltaics/solar energy utilization systems
• Modeling, optimization and control of building thermal systems
• Heating ventilation air-conditioning (HVAC)
• Numerical simulation of heat transfer
• Thermal performance of the building envelope

Requirements

• Master’s or PhD degree in Engineering, Energy Systems, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Building Science, or related areas. 
• Background in solar energy engineering, renewable energy systems, or building science with strong theoretical and practical knowledge. 
• Experience or coursework in modeling, simulation, and control of building thermal systems (e.g., HVAC, heat pumps, thermal storage).
•  Proficiency in numerical methods and software tools for heat transfer and energy system simulation (e.g., MATLAB, Python, EnergyPlus)
• Familiarity with model-predictive control (MPC) or other control optimization techniques for energy systems. 
• Knowledge of machine learning or data-driven modeling methods applied to energy forecasting, demand response, or system calibration. 
• Strong analytical skills and ability to design, conduct, and interpret laboratory and field experiments related to integrated solar building technologies. 

Questions/contact

For all questions, please contact Alisa Makusheva at alisa.makusheva@concordia.ca.