Ahmad Shoaib Amiri
Post Doctoral Fellow
| Degrees: | Ph.D. (University of Toronto), M.S. (University of Nebraska-Lincoln), B.Eng. (JMI University) |
| Email: | shoaib.amiri@mail.utoronto.ca |
| LinkedIn: | Connect |
Shoaib joined CABER in September 2026 as a Postdoctoral Fellow. His work is primarily in building science, with a focus on building envelopes, energy performance, thermal comfort, and how buildings respond to extreme weather and power outages.
He completed his Ph.D. in Architecture at the University of Toronto’s Daniels Faculty, where his doctoral research examined thermal resilience in buildings and, more specifically, how well a building can continue to protect its occupants when heating or cooling systems are unavailable. Much of this work involved studying indoor temperatures during heat waves, cold periods, and power outages, and examining how different retrofit measures could improve performance.
The dissertation also worked through the standard toolkit of envelope strategies—insulation levels, airtightness, glazing choices, shading, thermal mass, ventilation—though always with an eye on how they perform once mechanical systems go offline for an extended stretch, rather than just how they perform on a normal Tuesday. Simulation was central to nearly all of it: EnergyPlus, IESVE, and DesignBuilder for most of the modelling requiring more detailed dynamics; RETScreen for the energy-economics side; and THERM for steady-state envelope analyses.
Before Toronto, there was an M.S. at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (Architectural Engineering, with a structural bent) and, before that, a B.Eng. in Civil Engineering. It is an unusual combination for someone doing building-science research now, but it shows — Shoaib moves between structural reasoning and thermal/energy analysis more fluidly than most people trained in just one.
That combination is still driving his work at CABER, where he is focused on turning research methods into something more usable: practical ways to evaluate and improve envelope performance across both existing buildings and new construction, as climate resilience becomes less of a niche concern and more of a baseline expectation. At CABER, Shoaib conducts research on high-performance building envelope systems through experimental testing, hygrothermal modelling, and performance analysis. My activities will also include developing research funding proposals, preparing publications and technical reports, collaborating with industry partners, and mentoring graduate and undergraduate students.
Publications
Amiri, A. S., Jemtrud, M., & Chung, D. (2026). A multi-objective optimization framework for analyzing thermal resilience under power outage and varying climatic conditions. Energy Conversion and Management, 351, 121013.
Amiri, A.S., Jandaghian, Z., Gaur, A. (2026). The impact of cool building materials on the trade-offs between summer and winter thermal resilience and energy use. Energy and Buildings, 117912.
Amiri, A.S., Sadeghi, S., Rudnicki, I., Foglia, L., Hajj-Hassan, J., Sun, E., Cruickshank, C., Jemtrud, M., Chung, D. (2026). Building performance simulation tools for retrofit decision-making in Residential Buildings: A systematic review and case-study investigation. Under internal review.
Amiri, A. S., & Chung, D. (2026). Energy Retrofit Strategies for Enhancing Thermal Resilience and Passive Survivability in Public Buildings: A Systematic Review. Under internal review.
Amiri, A.S., Rudnicki, I., Cruickshank, C., & Chung, D. (2026). Quantifying the impact of over-cladding energy retrofits on thermal resilience: comparing DesignBuilder and TRNSYS simulations. Under review.
Jandaghian, Z., Amiri, A.S. (2026). Nature-based walls, reflective materials, and solar façades: an integrated review on thermal resilience and energy performance. Manuscript in progress (to be submitted to Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews).
Amiri, A.S., Jemtrud, M., Chung, D. (2026). From framework to guidance: investigating retrofit solutions for outage resilience across Canadian climates. eSim 2026 IBPSA Canada Conference Proceedings, Longueuil, Quebec, Canada, June 17-19.
Amiri, A.S., Jandaghian, Z., Gaur, A. (2026). Improving thermal resilience and energy efficiency using cool building materials. SimBuild IBPSA-USA SimBuild 2026 Conference.
Amiri, A.S., Jemtrud, M., Lavigne, K., Chung, D. Comparing simulations of deep energy retrofits for a community centre using past and future weather scenarios. eSim 2024 IBPSA Canada Conference Proceedings, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, June 5-7, 2024.
Amiri, A.S., Erdogmus, E., Richter-Egger, D. A. Comparison between Ultrasonic Guided Wave Leakage and Half-Cell Potential Methods in Detection of Corrosion in Reinforced Concrete Decks. Signals 2021, 2, 413-433.
Erdogmus, E., Garcia, E., Amiri, A. S., & Schuller, M. A novel structural health monitoring method for reinforced concrete bridge decks using ultrasonic guided waves. Infrastructures 5.6 (2020): 49.
Erdogmus, E., Garcia, E., Schuller, M., Amiri, A. S. Prototype System for Implementing the Ultrasonic Guided Wave Method on the Field. NDOT Research Report SPR-PI(19) M086.
Amiri, A. S. A Comparison Between Ultrasonic Guided Wave Leakage and Half-Cell Potential Methods in Detection of Corrosion in Reinforced Concrete Structures. (2020).
Moin, K., Arastu, M., Khalil, M., Amiri, A. S., & Qamar, S. Seismic stability analysis of historical construction: a case Study-Wazirpur Tomb. Structural Analysis of Historical Constructions. Springer, Cham, 2019. 1419-1426.