This webinar included two speakers:
Dr Sandra Persiani, Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Researcher, Technical University of Munich, Germany: Symbiotic Indoor Environments: Researching Interactions between Plants, Humans and the Indoor Microbiome
Prof Prashant Kumar, PI for RECLAIM Network Plus, GCARE, University of Surrey: Legacy of the RECLAIM Network Plus
Speakers
Dr Sandra Persiani
Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Researcher
Technical University of Munich, Germany
Title of Talk:
"Symbiotic Indoor Environments: Researching Interactions between Plants, Humans and the Indoor Microbiome"
Biography:
Sandra is a formed Architect and Researcher with a PhD in Environmental Design (2016), working between the fields of Architecture and Biology. Her interdisciplinary work addresses nature-based approaches to improve and measure Quality in the Built Environment looking at systematic aspects and synergies behind different actors from microbes to humans. In the last 5 years she has acquired experience planning, leading and managing field and lab experiments studying the effect of plants on humans and on the indoor environment. She has received a number of awards and scholarships among which the Alexander von Humboldt Postdoc Scholarship and the gold medal for Sustainable Architecture Fassa Bortolo XIII. She has also worked with the Helmholtz Centre Munich, Institute of Comparative Microbiome Analysis (COMI) and at the Energy Research Institute at Nanyang Technological University Singapore.
Prof Prashant Kumar
PI for RECLAIM Network Plus
GCARE, University of Surrey
Title of talk:
"Legacy of the RECLAIM Network Plus"
Biography:
Prashant Kumar is the founding Co-Director of the pan-university Institute for Sustainability and the founding Director of the Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE) at the University of Surrey. A highly cited cross-field researcher, he has published ~500 journal articles, with ~34,000 citations and over 450 policy citations. His work spans the interfaces of clean air, urban overheating, and human and environmental health in urban settings. His multidisciplinary research includes air-pollution monitoring and modelling, urban overheating, low-cost sensing, citizen-science engagement, and nature-based solutions for climate-change mitigation. He develops innovative technological and passive solutions, tools and guidance for both developed and developing regions. He currently leads numerous UKRI initiatives, including the RELCAIM Network Plus (outdoor greening for urban climate adaptation), GREENIN Micro Network Plus (indoor greening for climate resilience), and GP4Streets (DIY street-scale climate-adaptation solutions), all applying holistic, systems-based approaches to heat, health, and climate stresses.
