Sepideh Azizi | Urban and Environmental Planning | Best Researcher Award

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Ms. Sepideh Azizi | Urban and Environmental Planning | Best Researcher Award

Gradate Researcher, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, United States

Sepideh Azizi is an ambitious urban planner and researcher currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Urban Planning at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She has developed a keen interest in sustainable urban development, transportation, and environmental justice, consistently contributing to academic research and professional projects aimed at addressing global urban challenges. Sepideh has a strong academic background, with top rankings in her undergraduate studies at Shiraz University, and a diverse range of experiences in research, teaching, and professional roles.

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Based on the detailed CV provided for Sepideh Azizi, here’s an assessment of her suitability for the “Best Researcher Award” and an evaluation of her strengths, areas for improvement, and a conclusion:

Strengths for the Award

Academic Excellence and Educational Background:

Sepideh has an outstanding academic record, highlighted by her top-ranking position in her undergraduate program and several academic awards. Her pursuit of a Master’s degree in Urban Planning at a prestigious institution like the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) further solidifies her academic credentials.

Extensive Research Experience:

Sepideh has a broad research portfolio covering critical areas such as sustainable development, urban planning, environmental science, climate change, and spatial analysis. Her research spans both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, including advanced techniques like statistical modeling, GIS, and remote sensing.

She has published multiple papers in reputable journals and has presented her work at various international conferences, demonstrating her ability to contribute to and disseminate knowledge in her field.

Professional Experience and Contributions:

Sepideh’s work as a Graduate Researcher and her internships in Sustainable Transportation and Environmental Justice at UIUC highlight her ability to apply her research to real-world challenges. These roles involve collaboration with stakeholders, strategic planning, and project management, which are crucial skills for impactful research.

Her involvement in peer-reviewing for Elsevier’s journals shows recognition of her expertise and her contribution to maintaining the quality of academic research.

Technical Skills:

Sepideh possesses strong technical skills in GIS, statistical analysis, and programming, which are essential tools in urban planning and environmental research. Her proficiency in software like ArcGIS, Python, R, and Adobe Creative Cloud enables her to perform complex analyses and visualize her research effectively.

Leadership and Mentorship:

She has taken on leadership roles in various research projects, mentoring undergraduates, and contributing to professional councils. These roles highlight her leadership abilities and her commitment to fostering the next generation of researchers.

Areas for Improvement

Focus and Depth in Research:

While Sepideh’s research covers a broad range of topics, there may be an opportunity to narrow her focus to a few key areas where she can make more significant contributions. This depth could lead to more impactful and specialized research outputs.

International Collaborations:

While she has presented at international conferences, further enhancing her global research collaborations could expand her influence and bring more diverse perspectives to her work. Engaging in joint projects or publishing with international co-authors could be beneficial.

Additional Publications in High-Impact Journals:

While Sepideh has several publications, increasing her presence in high-impact journals within her field would further solidify her status as a leading researcher. A focus on submitting to top-tier journals could amplify her research’s visibility and impact.

Education

🎓 MS, Urban Planning, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (2023-2025)

  • Department of Urban and Regional Planning

🎓 BA, City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning, Shiraz University (2019-2023)

  • GPA: 18:80/20 (Rank: 1/28)
  • School of Art and Architecture, Department of Urban Planning and Design

Experience

💼 Graduate Researcher, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (2023-Present)
Sepideh collaborates on a range of research areas, including sustainable development, transportation, spatial analysis, and environmental science. Her work involves advanced statistical modeling and remote sensing to address pressing urban and environmental challenges.

📍 GIS Assistant & Sustainable Transportation Intern, University of Illinois Facilities & Services (2024-Present)
In her dual roles, Sepideh contributes to maintaining and editing the campus GIS database and maps, coordinating sustainable transportation initiatives, and drafting the Campus Bike Plan. She is instrumental in managing projects that enhance campus resilience and mitigate climate change impacts.

🌱 Environmental Justice Intern, Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE) (Summer 2024)
Sepideh integrates environmental justice into the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP), conducting comprehensive research and offering strategic recommendations for iCAP 2025.

Research Interests

Sepideh’s research focuses on sustainable urban development, transportation planning, environmental justice, climate change, and the application of remote sensing and spatial analysis in urban and environmental contexts. She is particularly interested in how these areas intersect to inform policy and planning decisions that promote sustainability and resilience in urban areas.

Awards & Honors

🏅 University Block Grant Fellowship
🏅 Urban and Regional Planning Department’s Scholarship (Spring 2023)
🎓 Directly Admitted for Master’s in Regional Planning at Shiraz University for Outstanding Performance
🥇 Ranked 1st among undergraduate students in Urban Planning at Shiraz University
🏆 Excellent Academic Performance Award for Undergraduate Studies at Shiraz University

Publications Top Notes

📚 Azizi, S., Azizi, T. (2024). “Urban Climate Dynamics: Analyzing the Impact of Green Cover and Air Pollution on Land Surface Temperature – A Comparative Study Across Chicago, San Francisco, and Phoenix, USA”. Atmosphere, MDPI. Read Here.

📚 Azizi, S., Azizi, T. (2024). “Classification of drought severity in contiguous USA during the past 21 years using fractal geometry”. EURASIP Journal on Advances in Signal Processing. Read Here.

📚 Azizi, S., Azizi, T. (2023). “Non-integer Dimension of Seasonal Land Surface Temperature (LST)”. Axioms. Read Here.

📚 Azizi, S., Azizi, T. (2022). “The Fractal Nature of Drought: Power Laws and Fractal Complexity of Arizona Drought”. European Journal of Mathematical Analysis. Read Here.

📚 Azizi, S. (2023). “Drought and Environmental Transformations of Lake Urmia: An Integrated Analysis Using Machine Learning and GIS”. Annals of Environmental Science and Ecology (Submitted).

📚 Azizi, S. (2023). “Assessing the Effects of Drought and Increasing Land Surface Temperatures on Vegetation Health and Agricultural Practices in Kendall County, Texas”. Environmental Management (Submitted).

Conclusion

Sepideh Azizi is a highly qualified candidate for the “Best Researcher Award” given her strong academic background, extensive research experience, and significant contributions to her field. Her ability to blend academic research with practical applications, her technical skills, and her leadership qualities make her a deserving candidate. By focusing on deepening her research in key areas and expanding her international collaborations, she could further enhance her impact and contribution to urban planning and environmental science.

Leila Pasandi | Building Science | Best Researcher Award

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Mrs. Leila Pasandi | Building Science | Best Researcher Award

Student/Member, PhD Student, United Kingdom

Leila Pasandi is a forward-thinking researcher at the intersection of artificial intelligence, microclimate, and the built environment. With a passion for addressing urban-scale energy consumption challenges, she has made significant strides in developing innovative solutions to mitigate the impacts of climate change on urban environments. Her academic journey, bolstered by prestigious grants and awards, reflects her dedication to advancing sustainable architecture and engineering practices.

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Research for “Best Researcher Award”

Strengths for the Award 🌟

Leila Pasandi’s research portfolio showcases a robust and forward-thinking approach to addressing some of the most pressing challenges in the built environment, particularly in the context of climate change and urban energy consumption. Her work stands out for its interdisciplinary nature, blending mechanical engineering with architectural technology to develop innovative solutions such as kinetic facades and energy-efficient building designs.

Her significant contributions include a comprehensive review of microclimate impacts on building operations, published in high-impact journals like Building and Environment and Applied Soft Computing. Pasandi’s expertise in urban heat island (UHI) mitigation and sustainable transportation demonstrates her commitment to creating energy-efficient urban environments. Moreover, her collaboration with renowned institutions and receipt of prestigious grants and awards, including the NERC OnePlanet Doctoral Training Partnership and the “Excellent Paper Award,” further underline her qualifications as a leading researcher in her field.

Areas for Improvement 🚀

While Leila Pasandi’s research is impressive, there are opportunities for further growth. Expanding her research to include more diverse geographic locations beyond Iran and the UK could increase the global applicability of her findings. Additionally, increasing her engagement in international research collaborations and conferences could enhance her global visibility and impact. Although she has a strong publication record, focusing on producing more first-author papers in top-tier journals would further solidify her status as a leading expert in her field. Lastly, while her technical skills are excellent, delving deeper into the socio-economic implications of her research could provide a more holistic approach to her work on urban environments and energy efficiency.

Education 🎓

Leila Pasandi is currently pursuing a PhD in Mechanical Engineering at Northumbria University as part of the NERC OnePlanet Doctoral Training Partnership (2022-present). Her research focuses on optimizing the impacts of climate change on urban buildings. She earned her MSc in Architectural Technology from Tabriz Islamic Art University (2013-2016), where she specialized in kinetic facades for educational buildings. Her academic foundation was laid with a BA in Architectural Engineering from Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (2009-2013), where she worked on designing children’s recreational and cultural complexes.

Experience 🛠

Leila has accumulated diverse experience as a researcher, lecturer, and architect. Currently, she is a PhD candidate at Northumbria University, where she is developing methodologies to optimize urban building environments. Previously, she served as a senior building energy analyst at First World Facade Co. in Malaysia, where she analyzed energy consumption and proposed reduction measures. Her experience also includes teaching roles at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad and the Iran University of Science and Technology, where she led workshops and lectured on computational design and fabrication engineering.

Research Interests 🔍

Leila Pasandi’s research interests are deeply rooted in sustainable urban development. She focuses on urban route-finding, sustainable transportation, machine learning tools, and the interaction between building microclimates and energy consumption. Her work also explores urban heat island (UHI) mitigation, kinetic facade systems, and energy efficiency modeling, all aimed at creating energy-efficient urban environments that are resilient to climate change.

Awards 🏆

Leila’s academic excellence has been recognized through several prestigious awards. She received the “Excellent Paper Award” at the ARSSS International Conference on Renewable Energy and Climate Change in 2023. In 2022, she was awarded a research grant from the ONE Planet Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) for her work on the interaction between microclimate and building structures. Additionally, she was granted a full scholarship by Tabriz Islamic Art University for her outstanding academic performance during her MSc program.

Publications Top Notes📝

Leila Pasandi has an impressive publication record that reflects her contributions to the field of sustainable architecture and urban planning. Some of her notable publications include:

September 2023: “Enhancing Microclimate and Reducing Building Energy Consumption: Utilizing Exterior Redirecting Transparent Louvers for Thermal and Visual Comfort in Iran’s Diverse School Buildings,” presented at the ARSSS International Conference on Renewable Energy and Climate Change. Link to Paper

October 2023: “A Comprehensive Review of Applications and Feedback Impact of Microclimate on Building Operation and Energy,” published in Building and Environment. Cited by 5 articles. Link to Journal

February 2022: “Analyzing the Impact of Urban Planning and Building Typologies in Urban Heat Island Mitigation,” published in Buildings. Cited by 10 articles. Link to Journal

September 2021: “Modified A* Algorithm Integrated with Ant Colony Optimization for Multi-Objective Route-Finding; Case Study: Yazd,” published in Applied Soft Computing. Cited by 8 articles. Link to Journal

Conclusion 🎓

Leila Pasandi is a highly deserving candidate for the “Best Researcher Award.” Her innovative work in integrating architectural design with mechanical engineering to address climate challenges in urban environments positions her as a trailblazer in her field. While there are areas for further growth, her current contributions to the academic and practical aspects of energy-efficient building design and urban planning are exceptional. Pasandi’s research not only advances theoretical knowledge but also offers practical solutions to real-world problems, making her a strong contender for this prestigious award.