Spotlight on a Student: Saeid Charani Shandiz
Towards resilient Net-Zero Emission Communities: A multi-dimensional approach for energy master planning
Saeid is aiming to finish his PhD thesis mid 2021. He chose his PhD research topic as he has witnessed how emerging technological solutions can pave the way towards more sustainable designs and resolve global environmental issues. He wanted to continue his research at the University of Melbourne to be able to contribute to the field and to attain his goals, both for professional development and intellectual growth.
Saeid likes being proactive and involved in collaborations that are geared toward solving sustainability and climate change issues which he thinks is especially important during this current age of declining resources. This was one of many reasons he became the graduate students’ representative on the University of Melbourne Sustainability Executive Committee in 2019.
What is your research about?
The development of zero emission building clusters is known as a desirable measure for reducing the emissions in the building sector due to synergies and efficiency gains through mixed energy uses, the economy of scale, and a broader range of technological options. However, more research on a robust methodology is required for addressing zero emission objectives, without compromising the energy resilience, in the planning and design process of the energy infrastructure for whole communities.
In my research project, I have developed a multi-dimensional assessment approach to facilitate the decision-making process for the energy master planning of net-zero emission communities, primarily focusing on energy supply resilience. This research work can provide guidance to various stakeholders and facilitate the transition to a sustainable and resilient energy sector, especially in Australia.
To learn more you can read the following:
- Energy master planning for net-zero emission communities: State of the art and research challenges
- Resilience framework and metrics for energy master planning of communities
Who are your supervisors?
My PhD project is supervised by distinguished academics including Dr Behzad Rismanchi, Professor Lu Aye and Professor Greg Foliente from the Infrastructure Engineering department at the University of Melbourne.
What do you want to do next?
I am currently looking for career opportunities. Possessing extensive knowledge of energy technologies, modelling and analysis, I am keen to consolidate my learning and utilise my expertise in the field, and to play a role in the transition to low carbon energy sector and sustainable and resilient communities. I hope to link research and practice for finding smart, deliverable and financially attractive solutions for sustainable (economic, environmental and social) energy systems and the built environment.
Have you received any awards?
I received the Graduate Research Scholarship in 2018 from the University of Melbourne, which is available to high-achieving students and covers up to 3.5 years of research. The same year my team placed first in MEI and Powershop's Energy Hack 2018, one of Australia’s largest competitions in the field of energy.
In 2020 I was lucky to received the Department of Infrastructure Engineering of the University of Melbourne conference travel grant which enabled me to present my research at Smart Energy Systems International Conference 2020.
Further information
Saeid is happy to answer any questions about his research. You can contact him via email with any queries that you may have.