Bianca Howard

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Tel212-853-3987

Research Interests

Building Energy Modeling and Simulation, Optimization for Design and Control, Building Energy Flexibility, Urban Building Energy Modeling, Net-Zero Emissions Building Design and Operation

Bianca Howard’s research focuses on developing modeling, optimization, and control techniques to estimate, forecast and manipulate the timing of energy consumption of buildings and their energy systems. The research aims to deliver impact on policy analysis, design and operation of buildings to deliver net-zero greenhouse emissions goals for communities, cities and countries.

Recent research projects Dr. Howard has directed include: the development and evaluation of model predictive control approaches for delivering demand reduction from groups of electrically heated homes, the development of building occupancy models that incorporate the effects of the local urban environment, the review of the lack of validated urban building energy models for estimating time varying demand and the use of evolutionary algorithms to analyze the trade off between cost and emissions for the English housing stock under fuel poverty constraints.

Dr. Howard received a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Columbia University in 2016, a MS in Mechanical Engineering from Columbia University in 2011, and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2009.

Research Experience:

  • Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London (2015-2017)
  • Doctoral Researcher, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University (2011-2015)
  • Undergraduate Researcher, Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University of Nebraska, (2008-2009)
  • Undergraduate Researcher, SURE Program, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008
  • Undergraduate Researcher, Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University of Nebraska, (2007/2008)

Professional Experience:

  • Senior Lecturer, Department of Architecture, Building, and Civil Engineering, Loughborough University, United Kingdom (2021-2022)
  • Lecturer, Department of Architecture, Building, and Civil Engineering, Loughborough University, United Kingdom (2017-2021)

Professional Affiliations:

  • Board Member, International Building Performance and Simulation Association (IBPSA) England Chapter (2021-2022)
  • Conference Chair, Building Simulation and Optimisation Conference 2022, Loughborough, England
  • Co-opted Board Member, IBPSA England Chapter (2019-2021)

Honors and Awards:

  • UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Innovation Fellow (2018-2021)
  • US NSF Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Fellow (2011-2014)

Selected Publications:

  • A. Oraiopoulos, B. Howard, On the accuracy of Urban Building Energy Modelling, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Volume 158, 2022, 111976, ISSN 1364-0321, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2021.111976
  • Siddiquee, S., Howard, B., Burton, K., O’Sullivan, D. Progress in Demand Response and It’s Industrial Applications. Frontiers in Energy Research, Volume 9, 2021, ISSN 2296-598X, 10.3389/fenrg.2021.673176
  • Huiqiao, H., Pawlak, J., Sivakumar, A., Howard,B., Polak, J. An approach for building occupancy modelling considering the urban context, Building and Environment, Volume 183, 2020, 107126, ISSN 0360-1323, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.107126
  • Junker, R, Kallesøe, C, Real, J, Howard, B, Lopes, R, Madsen, H. Stochastic nonlinear modelling and application of price-based energy flexibility, Applied Energy, Volume 275, 2020, 115096, ISSN: 0306-2619.
  • El-Geneidy, R and Howard, B. Contracted energy flexibility characteristics of communities: Analysis of a control strategy for demand response, Applied Energy, Volume 263, 2020, 114600, ISSN: 0306-2619. DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.114600.