Urban heat experts announced as 2024 Horizon Fellows

Dr Shamila Haddad, Dr Federico Tartarini and Dr Giulia Ulpiani have been appointed as Horizon Fellows in the School of Architecture, Design and Planning. The three will lead projects exploring the impact of heat on health in urban environments, and methods for mitigating the effects of climate change in Australian cities. The scholars will work with communities and policy makers across projects aimed at designing resilient and sustainable urban environments.

Dr Shamila Haddad is a researcher and educator at the Sydney School of Architecture, Design and Planning. Her expertise includes architectural science and technology, architectural design for health and wellbeing, environmental sustainability, urban overheating and heat mitigation technologies, indoor air and environmental quality, and energy poverty.

Dr Haddad's Horizon project is titled 'Developing resilient housing for low-income social housing residents and mitigating urban overheating in Australia: Tackling adverse impacts of climate change and the housing crisis'.

Dr Federico Tartarini joins the School from the University of Sydney Faculty of Medicine and Health's Heat and Health Research Incubator. He is currently developing a 'heat stress scale' for reducing personal risks during heatwaves, with a fieldwork focus on Sydney.

Dr Tartarini's Horizon project is titled 'Beat the heat: Advancing our understanding of heat stress and developing effective sustainable interventions to reduce health risks in a warming world'.

Dr Giulia Ulpiani joins the School from her previous role Scientific Project Officer with the European Commission. She has expertise in sustainability science and engineering, and construction and building technology, with a particular focus on how it scales into large-scale urban policy.  

Dr Ulpiani's research project is titled 'Urban heat mitigation and adaptation for climate neutrality: Towards a new holistic paradigm in urban sciences for healthier cities'

The Horizon Fellowship Scheme provides support to emerging academic talent to nurture leadership capability and amplify research impact. The five-year program provides Fellows with generous funding and a dedicated training and development. The $100m scheme is the first of its kind in Australia and among the world’s most generous university fellowships.