A novel ventilation-pollution nexus framework for offsetting carbon by smart indoor spaces

This project will focus on building a ventilation-pollution nexus framework for offsetting carbon in indoor spaces.

About

The considerable time people spend indoors has made indoor air quality (IAQ) more important than ever before. The biggest challenge is understanding the ventilation-pollution nexus as airtight buildings preserve energy but worsen the IAQ due to limited ventilation and vice-versa. This project aims to exploit low-cost sensors (LCSs), which can make rapid measurements and transmit data through the cloud, and to develop affordable tools which can be used to control the balance of ventilation for a safe IAQ as part of the government’s ambition to deliver Carbon Net-Zero.

The work would: (i) build a framework for the ventilation-pollution nexus for indoor spaces by defining LCS deployment strategies that represent various types of building occupancy; (ii) carry out real-world pilot studies by deploying a network of low-energy/low-cost sensors in indoor spaces, e.g. schools/offices/University buildings; (iii) develop easy to adopt data processing techniques for end-users to build a ventilation/IAQ database for diverse spaces; and (iv) develop a predictive model to exploit the wider adoption of LCSs and inform decision making as part of green innovation.

The expected outputs would include a novel verified ventilation-pollution nexus framework in the form of a tool and 3-4 open-access research publications to support decision making in various aspects of ventilation/IAQ.

The PhD project will be supervised by Professor Prashant Kumar, who is a founding Director of the Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE) and co-supervised by Dr Nick Martin (NPL). The candidate will have the opportunity to closely work with the diverse and multidisciplinary GCARE team and collaborate with various ongoing projects and beyond. They will work with the NPL and relevant GCARE collaborators, and will be an active member of the Guildford Living Lab.

This is a 4-year EPSRC i-CASE studentship project, commencing from 1 July 2022 (or earlier on 1 April 2022 if possible).

How to apply

Interested candidates are requested to send their CV directly to Professor Prashant Kumar (p.kumar@surrey.ac.uk). Upon his confirmation, you are welcome to make a formal application through the Civil and Environmental Engineering PhD programme page.

The candidates are encouraged to send their CVs, including any publications, as early as they can to Professor Kumar. Applications will be regularly assessed to interview candidates on a first-come, first-serve basis. Preference will be given to those candidates who are able to firmly start the programme by 1 April 2022 (or soon after by 01 July 2022).

The position is primarily for the home/UK students but international students with outstanding academic credentials are also encouraged to apply.

Application deadline

14 February 2023 (we will select students on a first come first serve basis)