Controlling airborne infectious disease transmission in indoor environment

Infectious disease pandemics are brutal killers in human history. The recent COVID-19 outbreak in China has killed over 2.4K people globally, and more than 78K people are infected across 28 countries (As of 22th Feb 2020). The study on transmission pathways for COVID-19 have not been conclusive, however, it is well acknowledged that the living environments (buildings) play a vital role in the spread and control of infectious agents. For other vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue, the architectural and building design could also have strong impact on controlling those infectious diseases. Therefore, the questions remain open and unanswered: how should we optimally design and operate our buildings when there is an epidemic of infectious disease especially in less developed countries where the resources are limited? 

The PhD project will apply both indoor environmental modeling and field measurement to investigate the optimal architectural environmental design for infectious disease control in developing countries. In particular, we will study and regenerate the local vernacular architectural design knowledge for combating infectious disease transmission to be used in the local community. The PhD student will work in a multidisciplinary research team comprising of architecture, engineering and public health. 

Applicants are expected to have a very good bachelor’s or master’s degree in the subjects of architectural science, architectural engineering, building service engineering, mechanical and environmental engineering or related subjects with strong interest in healthy building design. Previous research experience on building simulation or CFD is desirable, but not essential.

First-class or 2.1 (Hons) degree, or Masters degree (or equivalent) in an appropriate subject