Sustainability in Energy and Buildings 2023

John R. Littlewood is Professor of Sustainable and Resilient Buildings and Lead for the Sustainable and Resilient Built Environment research group in Cardiff School of Art and Design at Cardiff Metropolitan University (UK). He has been General Chair for the Sustainability in Energy and Buildings International Conference in 2014, 2017, and since 2019 to date and Chair of the Sustainable and Resilient Buildings General Track since 2016. His research is conducted in collaboration with industry to optimize the design, offsite manufacturing, construction, and operation of existing and new buildings to maximize their performance and user comfort and quality of life, yet reduce embodied and operational carbon emissions. He has authored, co-authored, and co-edited 179 peer-reviewed articles, papers, conference proceedings, and book volumes. His current research includes developing building insulation from natural and waste food crops; benchmarking organizational carbon emissions for decarbonization; and exploring pathways to net-zero carbon for existing dwellings through retrofit.

Lakhmi Jain, Ph.D., Dr. H.C., M.E., B.E. (Hons), Fellow (Engineers Australia), is with the University of Arad. He was formerly with the University of Technology Sydney, the University of Canberra, Liverpool Hope University, and Bournemouth University. Professor Jain founded the KES International for providing a professional community the opportunities for publications, knowledge exchange, cooperation, and teaming. Involving around 5,000 researchers drawn from universities and companies worldwide, KES facilitates international cooperation and generates synergy in teaching and research. KES regularly provides networking opportunities for professional community through one of the largest conferences of its kind in the area of KES.

Robert J. Howlett is Academic Chair of KES International, a non-profit organization, which facilitates knowledge transfer and the dissemination of research results in areas including Intelligent Systems, Sustainability, and Knowledge Transfer. He is Visiting Professor at “Aurel Vlaicu” University of Arad, Romania, and has also been Visiting Professor at Bournemouth University, UK. His technical expertise is in the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning for the solution of industrial problems. His current interests center on the application of intelligent systems to sustainability, particularly renewable energy, smart/microgrids, and its applications in housing and glasshouse horticulture. He previously developed a national profile in knowledge and technology transfer and the commercialization of research. He works with a number of universities and international research groups on the supervision teams of Ph.D. students and the provision of technical support for projects.