Kian Wee Chen

Assistant Professor Adjunct

Kian Wee Chen's research interest lies in the development and use of digital tools to support the integrative design process for the built environment. In his PhD research with the Future Cities Laboratory, Singapore-ETH Center, he focused on developing an integrated workflow for using optimization algorithms in designing a building’s form, envelope and cooling systems for better energy performance. After his PhD, he joined Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, Center for Environment Sensing and Modeling (SMART-CENSAM) as a Postdoctoral Associate looking at adapting his integrated workflow for the urban design process. During his stay in SMART-CENSAM, he had the opportunity to work with researchers from the fields of urban climatology, remote sensing and landscape architecture, which provided valuable insights about the built environment that influenced his research. After this postdoctoral studies, he received the Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, Princeton University, where he extended his research to include the use of low-cost sensors and Internet of Things (IoT) devices in the prototyping of building design with innovative cooling and heating systems. 

Kian Wee is currently a senior researcher at Global Environmental Technologies Inc., a company focusing on development of zero energy building HVAC technologies. With his experience so far, he plans to further his research of facilitating integrative design in multidisciplinary design teams through developing algorithms and modular tools. He aims to support multidisciplinary collaborations in the design teams by enabling timely access to data and models for analyzing and designing the built environment.

Chen's CV is available here

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