Team ‒ HOBEL ‐ EPFL

Dusan Licina, Head

Dusan Licina is an associate professor in the HOBEL at EPFL. He conducts fundamental and applied research in the field of sustainable and healthy built environment, with a specific focus on indoor air pollutant dynamics, exposure science, and building ventilation. Dusan holds MSc. and BSc. degrees in Mechanical Engineering (University of Belgrade). He completed his joint Doctorate degree at the National University of Singapore and Technical University of Denmark, followed by a postdoctoral appointment at the University of California Berkeley. Prior to joining EPFL, he also served as the director of the Standard Development team at the International WELL Building Institute. Dusan is the recipient of several honors and awards, including Yaglou award by the International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate (ISIAQ) for significant research accomplishments on sustainable healthy buildings, and Ralph G. Nevin’s award by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) given in recognition of significant accomplishment in the study of human response to the environment. He is editorial board member of the highly acclaimed Indoor Air journal. He is passionate about raising awareness about the air quality issues worldwide and developing buildings that are not only energy efficient, but that also contribute to “Michelin Star” indoor air quality.

Bowen Du, Postdoctoral Scientist

Bowen is a postdoctoral researcher in the HOBEL at EPFL. His research focuses on the impact of indoor air quality (IAQ) on health and performance. Bowen holds a PhD degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Toronto, and Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVAC & R) Engineering from the Tongji University. In the team, Bowen works on advancing IEQ assessment in European residential and educational buildings—including the development of improved metrics and evaluation of retrofit impacts—while also contributing to the development of the Global IAQ Database to transform how indoor air quality and human exposure are understood.

Sandra Dedesko, Postdoctoral Scientist

Sandra is a postdoctoral researcher in the HOBEL at EPFL. Her research focuses on the intersection of engineering and public health to improve the health and sustainability impacts of buildings. Sandra holds a PhD degree in Public Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Toronto. In the team, Sandra works on a modeling study examining the impacts of lower-carbon cooling strategies on indoor environmental conditions, health outcomes, and energy use—aiming to understand how indoor variables like moisture can be leveraged to improve health while reducing environmental impacts.

Cairan Van Rooyen, Postdoctoral Scientist

Cairan is a postdoctoral researcher in the HOBEL at EPFL. His research focuses on human interaction with the built environment and how this, in turn, influences health and climate outcomes. Cairan previously worked as a research fellow and holds a PhD degree in Building Physics from the University College London. Before returning to academia, he worked as a building physicist and Chartered Engineering consultant, designing indoor environmental solutions and evaluating their performance in use. In the team, Cairan works on developing and launching a monitoring campaign across European buildings undergoing prefabricated energy efficiency retrofits, aiming to assess the impact of these interventions on indoor environmental quality and occupant behaviour.

Stefan Flagner, Postdoctoral Scientist

Stefan is a postdoctoral researcher in the HOBEL at EPFL. His research focuses on the economic value of indoor environmental quality and the return on investment of healthy buildings. Stefan holds a PhD double degree in Economics and Health Sciences from the Maastricht University’s Business School and Medical Faculty. Before academia, he worked as a financial consultant in Germany and Luxembourg. In the team, Stefan works on developing the business case for indoor environmental and health investments, aiming to demonstrate how healthy buildings can benefit institutional investors, homeowners, and overall human well-being through interdisciplinary research.

Kristen Yeh, Postdoctoral Scientist

Kristen is a postdoctoral researcher in the HOBEL at EPFL. Her research focuses on indoor sources, dynamics, and health impacts of ultrafine particles under varying environmental and building operational conditions. She holds a PhD in Environmental Chemistry from the University of Toronto, where she investigated emissions from cannabis smoke and the effects of wildfires on indoor air quality. In the team, she works on understanding the exposure–dose relationship of ultrafine particles from diverse indoor sources, aiming to inform healthier and more sustainable indoor environments.

Tianqi Liu, PhD Student

Tianqi is a PhD student in HOBEL at EPFL. His research focuses on the intersection of indoor air quality, thermal comfort, and building operations. Tianqi holds a Master’s degree in Building Performance and Diagnostics from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor’s degree in Building Environment and Energy from Tianjin University. In the team, Tianqi works on human-centric sensing and environmental control to enhance occupant comfort and health in office buildings.

Hui Dong, PhD Student

Hui is a PhD student in HOBEL at EPFL. Her research focuses on pathogen transmission and energy-efficient control strategies in indoor environments. Hui holds two Master’s degrees—in Environmental Technology and Public Health—from Imperial College London, and a Bachelor’s degree in Building Environment and Energy from Tianjin University. In the team, she works on strategies to mitigate pathogen transmission indoors while balancing energy consumption.

Maria Loizou, PhD Student

Maria is a PhD student in HOBEL at EPFL. Her research focuses on the intersection of indoor air quality and embodied carbon in the context of building renovation. Maria holds a Master’s degree in Architecture from EPFL. Before joining academia, they worked at ESTIA SA, a Building Physics office, where they developed data analysis methods to assess embodied energy and support low-carbon design. In the team, Maria works on the European Horizon project INBLANC, aiming to explore the link between health and sustainability by studying how renovation strategies impact both indoor air quality and embodied CO₂ emissions in real-world case studies.

Khadija Sharaf Din, PhD Student

Khadija is a PhD student in HOBEL at EPFL. Her research focuses on the intersection of indoor aerosol chemistry and human health, particularly the behavior and transformation of ultrafine particulate matter in indoor environments. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from Government College University (GCU), Lahore, and a master’s degree in Environmental Science from NUST, Islamabad. She also worked at NUST as a research assistant with the Climate Change and Atmospheric Research Group (C-CARGO), where she studied air pollution, environmental processes, and human health. In the team, she works on a project aiming to assess emerging health risks from indoor aerosols and support the development of strategies for healthier indoor spaces.

Enes Gusinjac, PhD Student

Enes is a PhD student in the HOBEL at EPFL. His research focuses on human-centric designs and data analytics for sustainable buildings. He holds a Master’s degree from the Department for Management, Technology and Informatics in Construction, Faculty of Civil Engineering at the University of Belgrade, Serbia. In the team, he will work on passive cooling strategies and the effects of natural ventilation on human comfort and health during extreme events such as heatwaves and wildfires.

Ruijie Zhu, PhD Student

Ruijie is a PhD student in the HOBEL at EPFL. Her research focuses on the sources, dynamics, and health impacts of indoor ultrafine particles (UFPs). Ruijie holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering (2022) and a Master’s degree in Environmental Science (2025) from Nanjing University, China, where she specialized in the physicochemical properties and toxicological effects of micro- and nanoparticles. In the team, she will work on integrating nanoparticle characterization, toxicology, and data-driven analysis to advance understanding of indoor air pollutants, aiming to inform healthier indoor environments and building designs.

Yiqun Li, Visiting PhD Student

Yiqun is a visiting PhD student in HOBEL at EPFL. She is currently a fourth-year PhD student at Tongji University, supervised by Prof. Wei Ye. Yiqun’s research focuses on low-carbon clean air systems in buildings, particularly the differences and combined benefits of filtered outdoor air (via mechanical ventilation) and purified indoor air (via portable air cleaners). In the team, Yiqun works on theoretical and experimental analyses to quantify the effectiveness of different clean air strategies and optimize their use for improved indoor air quality and energy performance.

Claudia Gil, Administrative Assistant

Claudia joined HOBEL in 2021. In the team, she ensures the success of every administrative process.

PhD

Joan Rey (2020 – Grad 2024)
Han-Yun Jhang (2020 – Grad 2024)
Evangelos Belias (2019 – Grad 2023)
Seoyeon Yun (2019 – Grad 2023)
Gonzalez Serrano, Maria Viviana (2018 – Grad 2023)