Fatemeh Salehipour is a researcher at the University Center for Energy-Efficient Buildings at the Czech Technical University. She studies how to balance energy consumption and thermal comfort in residential properties. The MERIT program of the Central Bohemian Innovation Center funds her post-doc fellowship in the Central Bohemian Region.
What led you to the University Centre for Energy-Efficient Buildings (UCEEB) of the Czech Technical University (CTU)?
I am originally from Iran, but I completed my PhD at Università Politecnica delle Marche in Italy. There, I studied how urban morphology (the layout of cities) contributes to heat islands using advanced parametric analyses in different European climates.
While finishing my dissertation and looking for an academic position, I came across the MERIT fellowship, which I applied for in mid-2023. I had been to Prague as a tourist a few years ago, so I knew it was a beautiful and vibrant city to which I would like to return. Moreover, I saw the Czech Republic as an ideal place to connect with the European and global research community, which intrigued me.
Your project focuses on the energy efficiency of buildings. What exactly are you researching?
I specialize in urban energy modeling and green architecture. I focus primarily on thermal comfort analysis in buildings, investigating how passive strategies can reduce energy consumption and improve thermal comfort for residents in different climates. Many European residential buildings were built after World War II, so it is not surprising that their architects did not take energy performance into account. However, we cannot demolish these buildings, so we must find ways to improve their energy efficiency.

What specific measures should I imagine under the term passive strategy?
There are different ways of heating, cooling, and natural ventilation in buildings. I am particularly interested in those that do not use electricity, natural gas, or other external energy sources. We study how effective external solar shading, natural ventilation, or shelter use is. We try to find the optimal strategy for specific climatic conditions to ensure and improve thermal comfort in different buildings. We measure various parameters in different types of buildings and then perform mathematical calculations.
More specifically, in the Czech Republic, for example, we would like to find out which outdoor solar shading is best—its optimal width or material.
Is this purely academic research, or do you also collaborate with companies that could implement the results of your research?
In the first phase, we want to analyze different strategies through numerical simulations, and in the second step, we would like to reach out to partners who will implement them. Moreover, we are convinced that the results of our research can be very useful not only for architects, designers, or engineers but also for policymakers responsible for setting various guidelines.
Could your results be a data source for them to update the guidelines?
That’s right. European households consume 28% of global energy, and this share is increasing every year. This problem must be addressed urgently, as high energy consumption has negative environmental impacts. Knowing the effectiveness of individual strategies can help us optimize buildings’ energy performance.
When will you have the first results?
My supervisor and I have been working on the project for half a year, and we still have two years to go, so it will take a while. However, the number of questions and data is constantly growing, so we will need to involve other collaborators.
Do you also plan to expand cooperation abroad?
Yes, for example, thanks to the MERIT program, I am currently on a temporary research stay (so-called secondment) in the form of a four-month internship at the Metropolitan University in Osaka, Japan. In the Czech Republic, most of my research focuses on analyzing passive strategies, but here we would like to analyze their impact on the urban microclimate. I have already collaborated on an article with the professor hosting me here, so we are taking our joint efforts further.
One significant advantage of the MERIT program is that it allows us to build our professional networks and establish collaboration with other research institutions, teams, or companies, which is very important in an academic environment.

Your MERIT fellowship in the Czech Republic will end in two years. Would you like to stay here or are you planning to move somewhere else?
I can certainly imagine staying in the Czech Republic if the right opportunity arises and I can continue my work. I feel warmly welcomed here, and my colleagues and the scientific community are very cooperative and supportive. That is very important to me.
What other benefits does the MERIT program offer you as a researcher?
I arrived in May, and since then, representatives of the Central Bohemian Innovation Center (SIC) have invited me to several workshops, conferences, and seminars. These focused on soft skills or offered networking opportunities. From my point of view, courses focused on mental health, which is an essential topic for researchers, are very important. During my doctoral studies, I was exposed to particular challenges, so I consider this support from SIC important.
Are you in contact with other MERIT fellows?
Because I left for Japan shortly after I arrived in the Czech Republic, my contact with other fellows is low. But it’s always good to know that there are people in the same boat as you and with whom you can share experiences. And this is especially true for foreign scientists who live far from their family and friends.
Fatemeh Salehipour holds a Master’s and a PhD in Architectural Engineering. She completed her PhD research at the Department of Civil Engineering, Engineering and Architecture (DICEA) at Università Politecnica delle Marche, Italy. Her research focused on analyzing the influence of urban morphology on urban heat island intensity using advanced parametric analysis in different European climates.
After successfully defending her dissertation in June 2023, Fatemeh received a MERIT postdoctoral fellowship in November 2023. Since May 2024, she has been working as a postdoctoral fellow in the Building Physics research team at the University Center for Energy-Efficient Buildings, CTU in Prague. Her current research focuses on optimizing and prioritizing passive and active design solutions for the building industry using advanced simulations to address future climate challenges.