Dr Deborah Adkins

• Qualifications:MSc Eng, PhD, MIET, SFHEA
• Position:Senior Lecturer in Building Physics and Sustainability, Wallscourt Fellow in Sustainable Buildings.
• Department:FET - Architecture and the Built Environment
• Telephone:+441173285156
• Email:Deborah.Adkins@uwe.ac.uk
• Social media:

About me

Dr Deborah Adkins is a Senior Lecturer in Building Physics and Sustainability, and holds a Wallscourt Fellowship in Sustainable Buildings, within the Department of Architecture and the Built Environment. Deborah’s work sits at the intersection of Engineering, Design and the Built Environment. Her research activity spans all aspects of sustainability from outreach activities to decarbonisation policy. Her focus is on a planet-centred design approach to improving thermal performance, replacing gas heaters; and providing a holistic approach to decarbonising domestic energy. She is currently developing and testing technologies to enhance understanding and uptake of low-carbon heating and retrofitting technologies.

Brief CV: Deborah was a Research Fellow at Imperial College London in the Dyson School of Design Engineering, where she developed the EPSRC funded " Design the Future: HOUSE research project" which appeared as part of events at the Natural History Museum and Science Museum. Deborah was awarded a Techcelerate Fellowship at Imperial College London. An experienced academic, before Imperial College London, Deborah was an Assistant Professor in Building Physics and Course Director of the BEng Architectural Environment Engineering program at the University of Nottingham, Ningbo. Deborah has undertaken a series of senior leadership and professional activities and services throughout her career, including Course Director, Exams Officer, Assessment Committee Member, and Research Ethics Committee Member. Deborah gained her PhD from the Faculty of Engineering, University of Nottingham while living in and studying the Creative Energy Homes BASF House.

Deborah is the module leader for the School of Architecture and Environment Dissertation module (UBLLY7-60-M), comprising approx. ~500 students, contributing to 11 Built Environment Master programs across the school. She also teaches on a number of other modules. If you interested studying for a PhD or research degree in one of Deborah's areas of research please email her.

A profile of Deborah's work and career can be found in Building Engineer

Area of expertise

Indicators of esteem:

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) - Member of Peer Review College, Reviewer & Panelist

Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) - Member of Peer Review College

Medical Research Foundation - Invited Reviewer

AHRC - South, West and Wales Doctoral Training Programme (SWWDTP) Member of Reviewer College 

Senior Fellow, Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)

External Examiner for PhD thesis - De Montfort University (DMU)

Editorial Board - Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences (JESS)

Current research projects:

Deborah is the Principal Investigator of several research projects, she manages and is involved in a number of industry research/consultancy projects looking at topics including carbon management, and the economic benefits of a human-centred approach to design and design for future living.

Greenprint: South Gloucestershire Council and West Sussex County Council:

Greenprint, ADEPT Live Labs 2: Decarbonising Local Roads in the UK, three-year, £30 million, UK-wide programme funded by the Department for Transport that will run until March 2026, with a five-year subsequent, extended monitoring and evaluation period.

Previous research projects:

Project lead, British Academy project, AR home heat visualisation for decarbonisation

Project lead, EIT Climate KIC Pathfinder, Project Home Performance Labelling Project in partnership with HTA design and BLP, Hurford Salvi Carr, and The Housing Forum to develop an online tool, which assesses the quality and energy performance of homes

PI: Design for future living project to challenge thinking in the areas of virtual and augmented reality in the future design of infrastructure

PI: Thoughtful Buildings, The Economic Benefits of HCD. Design and UK productivity.

Publications

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