Ehsan Amiri Rad is a Mechanical Engineer and Energy Specialist with a passion for driving Sustainable Transformation. As an Academic and Industry Expert, he focuses on Decarbonization and Resilient Energy Systems. With over 10 years of experience in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and innovative technologies, Ehsan bridges the gap between research and practical solutions. His expertise spans Sustainable Energy Systems, Decarbonization Strategies, Energy Efficiency Optimization, Renewable Energy Integration, and Resilient Infrastructure Development.

Through his work, Ehsan aims to accelerate the transition to a Low-Carbon Future, fostering a more Sustainable and Equitable Energy Landscape.

Publication History

Francesca Vecchi is a visiting PhD student in the Department of Building, Civil, and Environmental Engineering. She previously obtained a Master's degree in Urban and Environmental Planning (2022) and Polytechnic University of Turin, Italy. She developed her master's research final project at Toronto Metropolitan University, working on unban building energy modelling. In 2023, she started her PhD at Polytechnic University of Bari, Italy. Her research activity focuses on policies for the development of renewable energy communities, specifically on energy remuneration schemes and sharing mechanisms. The research considers Italian and Canadian perspectives.

Joel Andrés Blanco is an electronics engineer specializing in industrial instrumentation and automation, with a strong focus on implementing advanced energy efficiency solutions. With extensive experience in sectors such as beverage manufacturing, mining, and pharmaceuticals, Joel integrates new technologies to reduce energy consumption and enhance the efficiency of industrial systems.

As an expert and researcher in industrial control, he has led hydrogen generation projects, applying strategies to optimize energy usage and ensure precise control. His focus is on simplifying and enhancing the implementation of energy systems, leveraging project insights to provide innovative and sustainable solutions.

Davide Quaggiotto was a Research Intern in the CERC Team. He was a Ph.D. student of Energy Engineering at University of Padova (UNIPD, Italy). He previously obtained is Master’s degree in Energy Engineering from UNIPD. He joined a research study at Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), in collaboration with the European project Cheap-GSHPs (Horizon 2020), to perform specific tests on experimental borehole heat exchangers. In 2018 he started his research activity as a PhD student in the Department of Industrial Engineering of UNIPD. The activity is focused on the modelling and the integrated management of district heating networks and building-plant systems. His main goal is to maximize the energy efficiency of the district heating networks. To achieve this, energy simulations and optimization methods are used. 

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Elaine Varela was a Visiting Scholar from Universidade Federal da Bahia. She is a researcher of the UNESCO Chair on Sustainability of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. She is a civil engineer with a PhD in Environmental Engineering from the UPC (2012) and is currently the director of BAKÒ. With experience in planning, fundraising, implementing and coordinating research projects, both in Brazil and Spain, she leads projects in the area of circular economy, management and recycling of construction/demolition waste, blockchain technology, among others themes. The main goal of her work is to develop tools and to identify good practices to promote sustainability, social responsibility and innovation in the urban environment.

Elise Lecomte was a Research Intern in the Department of Building, Civil, and Environmental Engineering. Elise was a student in an engineering school in France (EPF) and is starting her master's degree in architecture and sustainable cities. She plans to continue her studies in Liège with a double degree in architecture. Her work with the CERC Team consisted of doing research on different subjects such as the life cycle of buildings, zero carbon cities, the impact of waste from buildings at the end of their life or even the renovation of buildings. She also participates in the collection of data on construction materials available in Canada.

Florian Schirle was a Research Intern in the CERC Team. He was a Master’s student of Advanced Systems Design with a focus on second life battery storage systems at Aalen University, Germany. He previously received his B.Eng in electrical engineering with a focus on energy systems and renewable energy. For his Master’s degree, he collaborated with the CERC team at Concordia University, and he developed algorithms for the optimal selection and implementation of battery systems in specific applications using multi-criteria decision algorithms and computer-aided simulations. Currently, he is working at Aalen University on second-life storage projects and their integration into smart grids.

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Larissa Marins is a Research Intern in the Department of Building, Civil, and Environmental Engineering at Concordia University. She is a Bachelor's student in Civil Engineering at the Universidade de Vassouras and a scholarship recipient of the Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program (ELAP). Her current research with the CERC team focuses on the impact of sustainable technologies on local development, using a comparative approach between Brazil and Canada. Passionate about cultural exchanges and innovative solutions, Larissa aims to integrate engineering, sustainability, and social impact in her initiaves.

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Nadeem Akhtar was a Research Intern with the CERC Team at the Department of Building, Civil, and Environmental Engineering, Concordia University, during Summer 2024. He is a Master’s student specializing in Surveying and Geospatial Engineering at the Department of Civil Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taiwan, under the supervision of Prof. Jen-Yu Han. Originally from India, he completed his undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering from Aliah University and a Diploma in Civil Engineering from Aligarh Muslim University. His research with the CERC Team focused on developing automated tools and a framework for analyzing and forecasting rooftop solar irradiance, considering shading effects, building configurations, and comparing the performance of open-source and proprietary software.

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Saifullah Shafiq is a Visiting Researcher with the CERC Team. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Queensland (UQ), Brisbane, Australia. He obtained his master’s and bachelor’s degrees in 2018 and 2014 from King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM) in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, and the University of Engineering and Technology (UET) in Lahore, Pakistan, respectively. He was a Lecturer in the Electrical Engineering Department at Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University (PMU), Khobar, Saudi Arabia, from 2018 until 2023. In January 2020, he also worked as a Visiting Researcher at the Multipower Smart Grid Lab at VTT in Espoo, Finland. Moreover, he worked as a Research Assistant in the Electrical Engineering Department at KFUPM from 2015 to 2018. His research focuses on the large-scale integration of electric vehicles in distribution networks, power system planning, and machine learning applications in power systems.

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Solène Martin was a Research Intern in the Department of Building, Civil, and Environmental Engineering. She began her first year of a master's degree in January 2022 in France, in the field of building and sustainable architecture. She has a bachelor's degree in general engineering with a mechanics specialisation from the EPF (Feminine Polytechnic School, 2018-2021). Her research with the CERC Team focused on deep retrofit strategies for office or large apartment buildings, including life cycle analysis of materials used, energy savings and costs. 

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