News

Fariza Sabit awarded Doc.Mobility grant for a stay at PBRC

Published:08.09.26 — Fariza Sabit, a third year PhD student at the ICE Lab, was awarded the EPFL's Doc.Mobility grant for a research stay at Pennington Biomedical Research Center (PBRC).

ICE lab wins Best Poster Award at ACM BuildSys 2026

Published:20.08.26 — The ICE lab received the Best Poster Award at ACM BuildSys 2026 for the work on the effect of the actual human metabolic rate on the energy efficiency of buildings. Prof. Khovalyg also opened the Occupant-Centric Energy Systems (OccuSys) workshop with a keynote on closing the control loop on the human body.

Prof. Khovalyg delivers closing keynote at IAQVEC 2026

Published:20.08.26 — Prof. Dolaana Khovalyg delivered the closing keynote at IAQVEC 2026 in Los Angeles. Her talk argued that the standardized occupant assumed by current building standards no longer matches what is known about the human body, and proposed a next generation of building science built on personalized sensing, modeling, and control.

ICE lab work on human metabolism is recognized at RACMEM 2025

Published:18.01.26 — On October 13-17, 2025, Prof. Dolaana Khovalyg and Fariza Sabit, a second-year PhD student at the ICE lab, traveled to Shenzhen (China) for the prestigious Recent Advances and Controversies in Measuring Energy Metabolism (RACMEM 2025) conference. Hosted by a renowned biologist, Prof. John Speakman, this gathering brings together the world’s leading voices to tackle the grand challenge of measuring energy expenditure in daily life.

Advancing Human-Centric Building Design: ICE Lab at CISBAT 2025

Published:12.12.25 — This past September 3-5, two researchers from the Laboratory of Integrated Comfort Engineering (ICE) presented their work at the CISBAT 2025 conference in Lausanne, pushing the boundaries of human-centric building design. Their research offers key insights into the dynamic relationship between our bodies, our brains, and the environments we inhabit.

Lorenzo Lai's Erasmus research stay at the ICE lab

Published:28.06.25 — Lorenzo Lai, a master’s student in Architecture for Sustainability at Politecnico di Torino, joined the ICE lab for 5 months through the Erasmus program and carried out his MS thesis project at EPFL-Fribourg.

ICE lab took part at CLIMA 2025 conference

Published:13.06.25 — The CLIMA 2025 conference provided a great platform to showcase the ICE Lab’s research, connect with peers, and engage in stimulating discussions on cutting-edge trends and technological advancements. Fariza Sabit, a second-year PhD student, presented a poster on the variability of metabolic rate, while visiting researcher Mehmet Furkan Özbey shared his work on mean radiant temperature measurements. Both contributions sparked interest and highlighted the lab’s active role in advancing the field.

SLL & the ICE lab visit by the British Ambassador

Published:07.05.25 — The ICE Lab facility in Fribourg was visited by James Squire, the British Ambassador to the Swiss Confederation, along with a delegation from the British Embassy, including Martina Novakova, Head of Science & Technology at the British Embassy in Berne.

ICE welcomes a new postdoc Jaafar Younes

Published:01.12.24 — Dr. Jaafar Younes joined the ICE lab as a postdoc in November'24 to propel the research in personalized comfort.

ICE at CATE2024: Exploring Resilience and Mitigation Strategies

Published:01.12.24 — The ICE lab shared the insights at the Comfort at The Extremes CATE 2024, reflecting its role at the forefront of climate-adaptive research and practices.

Inaugural meeting of HCB Network / IEA EBC Annex 95

Published:20.11.24 — The ICE lab continues to lead the way in research on human-centric buildings for a changing climate. Our team, including Prof. Dolaana Khovalyg and Dr. Kun Lyu, recently attended a significant international event – the first meeting of HCB Network / IEA EBC Annex 95 in Seville, Spain.

ICE welcomes Mehmet Furkan Özbey, a Swiss Scholarship holder

Published:01.10.24 — ICE lab welcomes Mehmet Furkan Özbey from Atılım University in Türkiye, who joined as a visiting Ph.D student in September 2024.

ENAC Research Day 2024: Where Innovation Meets Conversation

Published:15.09.24 — The ICE Lab took part in ENAC Research Day 2024, where eclectic research and innovation projects come together. Kun Lyu and Fariza presented their projects through posters, allowing for detailed discussions and networking.

Digital Energy – Blauer Montag lecture at ZHAW

Published:15.05.24 — The Blauer Montag Lecture Series on May 6 at ZHAW featured a talk on personalized thermal sensing and smart control strategies by Prof. Khovalyg.

New Project Funding: Energy Efficiency and Comfort in PCS

Published:01.05.24 — The Swiss National Science Foundation has funded an innovative project titled “Personalized Comfort Systems: Minimizing Energy Use in Buildings While Maximizing Thermal Comfort” led by the ICE lab.

ICE lab welcomes a new PhD student Fariza Sabit

Published:01.03.24 — Fariza Sabit joined the ICE lab in February 2024 as a Ph.D. student to advance research in personalized Energy Expenditure prediction. Enthusiastically, she recounts her personal background and experiences in Switzerland, highlighting her impression about both the ICE lab and the Smart Living Lab.

ICE lab welcomes a new postdoc Kun Lyu

Published:15.11.23 — Kun Lyu joined the ICE lab in November 2023 to advance the research within the SWICE (Sustainable Well-being for the Individual and the Collectivity in the Energy transition) project.

ICE welcomes Uelun-Ujin Purev, a Swiss Government Scholarship holder

Published:15.09.23 — ICE lab welcomes Uelun-Ujin Purev who joined the lab as a postdoc in September 2023.

iThCoM project featured at the ENAC Research Day 2023

Published:10.09.23 — The ENAC Research Day 2023 provided a platform for exploring cutting-edge research within ENAC and fostering collaboration, promoting academic excellence. PechaKucha talks featured interdisciplinary sustainability research, including the collaborative "iThCoM" project by ICE and VITA labs, showcasing expertise fusion for personalized comfort prediction, enhancing indoor climatization, and satisfaction with the built environment.

Successful graduation of Dr. Arnab Chatterjee

Published:25.07.23 — After devoting 4.5 years to his studies at EPFL, Arnab Chatterjee reached a pivotal moment in his academic journey as he successfully defended his PhD thesis. This significant accomplishment was marked by his public presentation at the Smart Living Lab on July 21, 2023. Among the attendees were Arnab's colleagues and supportive friends, who eagerly celebrated this remarkable milestone, recognizing the dedication and hard work that led to this achievement in his career.