Dr Umberto Berardi
Ryerson University, CanadaHow Nanotechnologies can help in creating more Sustainable and Resilient Buildings and Communities
Abstract:
The focus of this seminar will be on innovative material and construction systems that incorporate new materials and nanotechnologies for improving their performance. Recent developments in the world of phase change materials, specifically on organic PCMs, such as paraffin and bio-PCM aerogel, will be presented. Then, the seminar will show recent advancements in super-insulating materials, specifically focusing on aerogel panels, developed at the BeTOP Center in Toronto. Finally, the seminar will explore the potentialities of including innovative nanotechnologies to the urban scale to show the possible contamination and benefits for more sustainable and resilient communities. The seminar, using Toronto as a test case, will aim to comprehensively show that nanotechnologies offer a paradigm shift at the different scales of the built environment.
Biography:
Dr. Berardi is the Director of the BeTOP laboratory at Ryerson University in Toronto (Ontario, Canada) and has been selected for the Canada Research Chair in Building Science at Ryerson. His main research interests are related to the study of innovative solutions and new materials for improving the performance of the built environment. Dr. Berardi has an extensive publication record, including 100 peer-reviewed journals, 100 international conference papers, and five books. Notable highlights include 4 articles in Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, 4 in Applied Energy, among many others. Dr. Berardi's publications have received over 6000 citations in Google Scholar (where he has an h-index of 34). He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Acoustics journal. He is also a member of the editorial board of the many journals, including Energy and Buildings, Sustainable Cities and Society, Journal of Building Performance Simulation, Building Simulation, Sustainable Development, and many others. Dr. Berardi has an actual body of funded research comprising over $1.5 M. In the last two years, he has been awarded several grants including a Canada Foundation for Innovation JELF, an NSERC Discovery Grant, and the Early Research Award from the Ontario MRI. Dr. Berardi is currently supervising 5 Ph.D. candidates.
More info at https://sites.google.com/site/umbertoberardihomepage/
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