Academic Research Team

Dr Kate Carter (PI) is an architect with practical experience of energy modelling. She has led research, ‘Concrete2cookers’ (EP/F066589/1) in the understanding of carbon emissions for school children. A computer game was designed with pupils, to help them understand how carbon emissions were linked to both building fabric and operating the building and its fittings. The game, which is available for use in all schools, was set within the context of a school building. The project built on earlier research funded by EPSRC and Carbon Trust. This public engagement project provided experience of working in schools and creating accessible and fun material developed with school children and their teachers. A Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP 7024) with the Project Partner FES FM Ltd., developed strategies towards energy reduction in their school estate. As facilities managers of 32 schools through PPP contracts they are responsible for energy management on behalf of six local councils’ schools. Findings from this work demonstrated the value in engaging users in these strategies. This work over the last two years reduced energy demand in school significantly. She will lead the project and the work in low energy building design.

Nigel Goddard (Co-I) is Reader in the School of Informatics, UoE and a member of the Machine Learning group. He has been studying complex systems, principally those embodied in the human brain, since 1985. He has led international collaborative research projects in high-performance software methods for neuroscience (Goddard:1997) and collaborative modeling software (Howell:2003) in the UK and US (£1.5M), and originated the NeuroML standard for computational neuroscience models (Goddard:2001). He was founding Director of the £6M Doctoral Training Centre in Neuroinformatics (EPSRC/MRC) (Armstrong:2003) and founding CEO of Axiope, a provider of collaborative software for scientists (Goddard:2009). Since 2007 he has focused on computational models of energy-related systems, most recently using probabilistic methods. He is PI of the Digital Economy TEDDI project “IDEAL: Intelligent Domestic Energy Advice Loop” (£2M), and is Co-ordinator of the “Living Labs in Smart Cities” subgroup of the Energy Efficiency and Buildings workgroup providing guidance to the EU Smart Cities Initiative.

Dr. Chris Speed (Co-I) is Reader in Digital Spaces at the Edinburgh School of Architecture and Architecture at the Edinburgh College of Art. Speed is the lead academic of the TOTeM project, investigating social memory within the ‘Internet of Things’ funded by the Digital Economy (£1.3 million), is Co-I for the EPSRCfunded Sixth Sense Transport project that is exploring flexible models of time and flow within travel, and is the PI for the Community Hacking project funded by the AHRC Connected Communities theme. Speed is Co-Editor of the forthcoming journal published by Intellect, Ubiquity: Journal for Pervasive Media. He is also a member of the AHRC Peer Review College, and member of the advisory board for the Institute of Digital Art & Technology (i DAT) which is a HEFCE & Arts Council England funded ‘Centre of Expertise’ facilitating regional, national and international collaborations and cultural projects.

Robin Williams (Co-I) is Professor of Social Research on Technology and Director of the Institute for the Study Science, Technology and Innovation. His personal research investigates ‘the social shaping of technology’ particularly in the design and use of Information and Communications Technology. His Social Learning framework highlights the processes whereby artefacts are refined in their implementation and use, alongside the development of new user practices, and underpins the concept of Living Labs as spaces for developers and users to experiment with new technologies. He led the ESRC PICT Centre and the social science component of the EPSRC Dependability of computer-based systems interdisciplinary Research Collaboration (www.dirc.org.uk) at the University of Edinburgh. Through these and over 50 other awards since 1986, he brings exceptional experience in collaborative and especially interdisciplinary research. His contribution to the project will revolve around the conduct and evaluation of the livings lab and will explore the development and scope for wider uptake of new applications and user practices.

Remo Pedreschi (Co-I)  is Professor of Architectural Technology with broad experience in innovative architectural systems and brings experience of working with schools, pupils and students of architecture in research led design studios that explore the relationship between the architect and the building user in understanding their ability to respond to and influence their environment.