Melina holds a BSc (2018) in Mechanical Engineering from K. N. Toosi University of Technology in Iran. She started her Masters’ program in Fall 2021 at Carleton University under supervision of Professor William O’Brien and Professor Cynthia Cruickshank in the Civil Engineering department.
After a year of studying human and building interactions at the Building Performance Research Center (BPRC), she started her Ph.D. in the Building Engineering program at Carleton University with a focus on building energy performance in Fall 2022. Her current research aims to find the impact of teleworking (working from home) and partial occupancy on energy consumption and GHG emissions, focusing on residential buildings. To this end, her research investigates the effect of thermal zoning, HVAC control configuration, occupant behavior, and use of smart thermostats on energy consumption, thermal comfort and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions with partial occupancy. Her study provides insights into the potential energy savings that could result from thermal zoning and informs policymakers on ways to mitigate the negative effects of teleworking on the environment.
Publications:
1. Sirati M., O’Brien W., and Cruickshank C.A. (2023). Household energy and comfort impacts under teleworking scenarios via a zoned residential HVAC system. Journal of Building Performance Simulation (JBPS). Under review.
2. Sirati M., O’Brien W., and Cruickshank C.A. (2023).Simulation investigation on the implications for widespread teleworking and other demographic trends in the residential building energy code. In preparation.
3. Sirati M., O’Brien W., and Cruickshank C.A. (2022). Quantification of teleworking impact on energy consumption and thermal comfort in residential buildings. 12th eSim Building Simulation Conference. National Conference. June 22nd-23rd. https://publications.ibpsa.org/conference/paper/?id=esim2022_235