Lead Researcher

Dr. Marshall Shepherd

Research Summary

We propose a forward-thinking and high impact effort to engineer cities for thermal justice that operates on the premise that all communities and their inhabitants should be protected from thermal stressors that disproportionately impact poorer, marginalized communities. In applying for a National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering Research Center (ERC) award, we plan to establish multi-tiered approaches to eliminate spatio-temporal temperature and air quality variations in an equitable manner, while transforming excessive urban heat into usable forms. These goals will be achieved through five inter-related thrusts, focusing on adaptive mitigation approaches, sensor networks, multiscale modeling and control, reducing energy poverty and thermal justice, and thermal resilience management. (Summary from JusTUrE brochure).