Infrastructure and Environment

Dr Pavlos Tafidis is a Lecturer in Transport (Systems) Engineering at The School of Engineering, The University of Edinburgh. His work integrates various disciplines, enhancing his comprehensive approach to transport planning and engineering. He led the "BikeHood" project, supported by the Science Foundation of Ireland, which focused on developing Ireland's first cycling neighborhood. This initiative actively engaged communities in the design process, utilizing advanced technologies such as digital twins and virtual reality.

He has been involved in numerous national and international research projects that concentrate on smart and sustainable mobility, including the "REALLOCATE" project, supported by the Horizon 2020 framework, and "CISMOB", funded by Interreg Europe. His current research is dedicated to empowering citizens by developing accessible and inclusive mobility solutions. Through his work, he aims to provide equitable transport infrastructure that enhances urban livability and ensures sustainability for all.

PhD in Transport Engineering | Hasselt University (2022)

M.Sc in Transport Planning | Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (2015)

M.Eng in Transportation | Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (2013)

Member of the Technical Chamber of Greece

Member of the Association of Transportation Engineers of Greece

(CIVE10033) Transport Engineering 3  

Role: Course Organizer

Programme: BEng/MEng Civil Engineering | School of Engineering

Years: 2024–present

(EFIE11345) Transport and Society

Role: Course Organizer

Programme: MSc Future Infrastructure, Sustainability and Climate Change | Edinburgh Future Institute

Years: 2024–present

(PGEE11263) Multi-Scale Energy Demand

Role: Lecturer 

Programme: MSc Sustainable Energy Systems | School of Engineering

Years: 2024–present

https://www.research.ed.ac.uk/en/persons/pavlos-tafidis

Dr Tim J. Aspinall is a Fellow at the School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh. He works in the fields of fire safety, fire science and materials science, specialising in complex defence and security environments. He holds a BSc (2016), an MSc (2017) and a PhD (2021) from the University of Portsmouth, Heriot-Watt University and the University of Edinburgh, respectively. He received an Honorary Fellowship from the University of Edinburgh in 2022. Tim has held previous posts, including a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship and a funded PhD Studentship sponsored by the UK Ministry of Defence at the University of Edinburgh. Before this, Tim worked as a Consultant Engineer for BP plc.

PhD - Fire Science and Engineering, The University of Edinburgh

Melis joined the University of Edinburgh in April 2024. Her research mainly focuses on how geostructures can contribute to the sustainability of human activities and resilience to future climate change and energy-related challenges. Her research activities span across a range of topics including in-situ and laboratory testing of soils and soil-structure interfaces in isothermal and non-isothermal conditions, as well as development of numerical tools for the analysis and design of geostructures. During her PhD at Virginia Tech (USA) and her postdoc at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL, Switzerland), she worked on Energy Geostructures Technology, which is an innovative way of using renewable energy resources by combining geothermal heat exchange and structural foundation support. Her PhD research received several awards by USUCGER, Geo-Institute and ADSC. For her postdoctoral contributions to EPFL, she was awarded “Recognition for Exceptional Services”. She recently received the Bright Sparkle Award 2023 from the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE).

• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University – Ph.D. in Geotechnical Engineering, August 2016, Virginia, USA
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University – M.Sc. in Geotechnical Engineering, January 2012, Virginia, USA
• Bogazici University – B.Sc. in Civil Engineering, May 2010, Istanbul, Turkey

• Member of the EPSRC Peer Review College
• Member of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Talent Peer Review College
• Member of the Technical Committee on Energy Geotechnics (TC308) of International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE)
• Member of the International Energy Agency Working Group 14 (Geothermal Heating and Cooling Energy)
• Member of the Cost Action CA21156 - european network for FOstering Large-scale ImplementAtion of energy GEostructure (FOLIAGE)
• Advisory Board Member of the Journal of Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment

Geotechnical Engineering 2

Jens is a PhD student at the BRE Centre for Fire Safety Engineering, where he is researching the fire-related risk of photovoltaic installations in the built environment. 

Jens holds an MSc in Civil Engineering from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), and he studied a semester at the University of Ghent (Belgium) as part of that degree. 

I am a Post Doctoral Research Assistant at the Institute for Infrastructure and Environment. I have an extensive background in hydrodynamic, river morphodynamics and interaction between river hydrology, sediments and riparian plants dynamics. My research investigates the physical processes controlled by the Navier-Stokes equations, including those controlling the interaction between water flow, sediment erosion, and riparian vegetation dynamics, and those dictating the wildfire rate of spread and firebrands dynamics. I am particularly interested in understanding how climate change can influence the spatial and temporal scales of these processes. Recently, I have been working on a project that aims to use satellite data to support the management of offshore wind farms. 

My work combines mathematical and numerical modelling, remote sensing analysis, and field and laboratory observations.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/simone-zen-7b781b83/

BSc in Environmental Engineering University of Trento (2004 - 2007)