Dr Deborah Adkins

• Qualifications:MSc Advanced Mechanical Engineering (University of Leicester), PhD (University of Nottingham), FHEA
• Position:Wallscourt Fellow in Sustainable Buildings
• Department:FET - Architecture and the Built Environment
• Telephone:+4411732 85156
• Email:Deborah.Adkins@uwe.ac.uk
• Social media:

About me

Deborah Adkins holds a Wallscourt Fellowship in Sustainable Buildings, within the Department of Architecture and the Built Environment at UWE Bristol. She also jointly holds a Senior Lectureship in Building Physics and Sustainability. She previously served as 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" with P.I. Professor Peter Childs, which appeared as part of late events at the Natural History Museum and Science Museum. Dr Adkins was awarded a Techcelerate Fellowship at Imperial College London.

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 manages and is involved in a number of industry research/consultancy projects looking at topics including the economic benefits of a human-centred approach to design and design for future living. She also led the C-KIC collaborative project with HTA Design and BLP, Hurford Salvi Carr, and The Housing Forum to develop a user-centred online comparison tool (HPL).

As an experienced academic, Deborah currently undertakes extensive undergraduate and postgraduate supervision. She currently leads the courses ‘Low Carbon Building Services’ and ‘Energy transformations’. She is a fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Before Imperial College London, Deborah was an Assistant Professor in Building Physics and Course Director (Lead) of the BEng Architectural Environment Engineering program at Nottingham, Ningbo. During her time at the University of Nottingham, she led the courses ‘Topics of Heat transfer’, ‘Fluid mechanics’ and ‘Introduction to Renewable Energy’ and undertook extensive undergraduate and postgraduate supervision. Deborah undertook a number of senior professional activities and services at the University of Nottingham, including Course Director, Exams Officer, Assessment Committee Member, Member of the Faculty of Engineering Teaching and Learning Committee and Research Ethics Committee Member. Deborah gained her PhD in Photovoltaic Concentration from the University of Nottingham while living in and studying the Creative Energy Homes BASF House.

Area of expertise

Currently funded research:

• Home heat visualisation for decarbonisation engagement (Funded by the British Academy Early Career Researcher Network)
• ENERGISE West: Enabling Networks for Energy Research and Generation via Informal Social Exchange in the West of England (Funded by the UWE CATE College-building Research Fund 2022-23)
• Exploring the nexus between the Net-Zero transition and organized crime (Funded by the CATE-CBL Knowledge Exchange and Impact fund)
• Flax to Filament & Back - Circular Economy for 3D Printer Filament (Funded by CATE Community Engagement and KE fund)

Deborah's research is focused on novel approaches and immersive engagement technologies and experiences to support the decarbonisation of the building stock. She is currently developing and testing immersive technologies to enhance understanding and uptake of low-carbon heating and retrofitting technologies.

PhD position: Dr Adkins is seeking a driven PhD student, who would like to be involved in developing and testing immersive technologies to enhance understanding and uptake of low-carbon heating and retrofitting technologies.

Undergraduate positions: Dr Adkins is also keen to work with enthusiastic, driven undergraduate interns, who would like to be involved in active research projects, contact her to find out more.

Publications

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