Job Summary:
We have an open postdoctoral position (aka research fellow) located in Singapore under Stefano Schiavon’s supervision and in collaboration with Jason Lee, June Lo, Clayton Miller, Thomas Parkinson and Hui Zhang. The Postdoctoral Scholar position is for a candidate who has obtained (or is in the process of obtaining) their doctoral degree.
The candidates will work within the HEATS project . HEATS – Heat Exposure, Activity, and Sleep - is a three-year, multi-institutional project that focuses on improving sleep outcomes for people exposed to heat. Funded by the Singapore National Research Foundation and commencing in January 2024, the project will develop technological and behavioral solutions to minimize heat exposure for improved sleep. The project is structured as three distinct and complementary components: 1) continuous monitoring of working-age persons over several months to study the interactions between heat exposure, physical activities, and sleep, 2) development and evaluation of novel sleeping enviornment cooling solutions, and 3) deployment and testing of personalized smartphone nudging strategies to improve sleep.
This position will start in the second half of the project and will focus on data analysis and paper writing of the collected data. This position focuses on the effect of heat exposure on sleep and the assessment of air conditioning control logic to improve sleep quality.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Contributing to the assessment of the air conditioning control logic development and implementing it in real buildings
- Supporting running the experiments and processing and analyzing the data
- Leading the development and writing of research publications and related patents
- Preparing and sharing research findings with various stakeholders
- Assisting with any other duties of a similar nature that are delegated by the supervisors.
Qualifications:
- The candidate should hold a Ph.D. or Doctor of Science degree with a focus in Engineering, Architecture, Sleep Science, or Data Science.
- Knowledge in HVAC systems, human thermoregulation, sleep science, as well as skills in built environment performance assessment and occupant analysis or simulation are recommended.
- Data processing and analysis proficiency using R, Python or similar software is recommended.
- A demonstrated interest and experience in conducting human subjects research in related areas is required.
- Skills in the development of control strategies are recommended.
- A track record of peer-reviewed publications is recommended.
The candidate will work in Singapore at BEARS, a UC Berkeley center for research, graduate education, and innovation in Singapore. The salary will be commensurate with experience. All appointments are for an initial period of one year with the possibility of renewal but with an end date of December 2026. Applicants should apply here (you need a Gmail account). There, you should upload a cover letter describing your research experience and interests, a curriculum vitae, and names and contact information (including e-mail addresses) for three references.
The project team is comprised of six experts from the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley), the National University of Singapore (NUS), and the University of Sydney. They have expertise in thermal physiology, sleep science, building science, thermal comfort, and data science. The Principal Investigators are Stefano Schiavon (UC Berkeley) and Jason Kai Wei Lee (NUS). Co-Investigators include June Chi Yan Lo (NUS), Clayton Miller (NUS), Thomas Parkinson (The University of Sydney), and Hui Zhang (UC Berkeley).
Applications are being reviewed as received. Intended start is flexible and around September 2025.
