Research paths rarely follow a linear route and although some arrive at their PhD journey with very clear research questions, often these radically shift along the way. In Marialena Nikolopoulou’s (University of Kent) case, the focus on outdoor thermal comfort came almost by serendipity and thematic constraints. The questions underpinning her research led to new understandings of the human dimensions of thermal comfort in urban microclimates. Inspiration for a research question During my postgraduate studies I became fascinated by thermal comfort and occupants’ interaction. Coming from an architectural engineering background with the focus on energy and the need to reduce energy demand, the emphasis on the occupant, presented a new fascinating world and Nick Baker’s work for the EU-funded PASCOOL project (Baker & Standeven 1996) provided the early inspiration, which could also be tested in my supervisor, Dean Hawkes’1 newly built Maldon library in Essex. It soon became apparent that physical measurements alone were not sufficient to truly understand whether a building was ‘successful’. Talking to people using the space, while also taking physical measurements and observing how they interacted with the building, provided an additional layer of rich information to truly understand a building. The seeds of such insight...

Trace Based Semantics for Rely Guarantee in the Archive of Formal Proofs

Greek symphonic metal ensemble Mystfall have released their second full-length album, ‘Embers of a Dying World,’ out now via Scarlet Records. Led by soprano Marialena Trikoglou, the band builds on the foundation of their 2023 debut ‘Celestial Vision’ with ten tracks that push deeper into dark, cinematic atmospheres, exploring the weight of human consequence through […]