I work at the intersection of buildings, energy systems, and public policy to understand how the built environment shapes both human health and the urban energy landscape.
Before UT, I spent a year as a policy analyst contributing to USAID and GIZ-funded programs on low-carbon cooling and thermal comfort in affordable housing across South Asia. I hold a Bachelor of Architecture, which lets me think from the community up, not just at a macro scale.
RESEARCH — TWO THREADS
Indoor Environmental Quality
I study whether home building codes protect people who live near industrial plants from air pollution indoors. I use computer models and statistics to estimate how much pollution gets into homes, and how often it crosses health limits. My case study looks at Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas.
I build energy models of buildings to see how design choices affect comfort and cooling energy. This includes testing insulation materials under future climates, predicting indoor temperature with machine learning, and studying low-energy comfort tools like ceiling fans.
FIGURE 3 · ILLUSTRATIVE MODEL OUTPUT
Figure 3.Machine-learning model predictions against measured indoor temperature in mixed-mode buildings. Points near the dashed line show close agreement; this approach cut estimated cooling loads by up to 60 percent. Hover a point for its reading.
FIGURE 4 · ILLUSTRATIVE MODEL OUTPUT
Standard insulation
Improved insulation
Figure 4.Modeled cooling energy for two insulation types across future weather years, from an EnergyPlus ensemble study. Improved insulation stays lower as climates get hotter. Hover a point for its value.
Figure 5.A simple one-floor building model. Roof, walls, windows, door, rooftop unit, solar panel, sensor, and foundation each link to a research area or role. Click a part to explore.
EXPERIENCE
Click a role to read more.
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Figure 6.Career timeline, 2022 to present. Work moves from hands-on field research and fieldwork toward policy design and technical review.
FEATURED PROJECTS
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ROLE
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DELIVERABLES
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Figure 7.Selected projects, (a)–(f): ORD International School, Reconnect!, Tending the Flow, Harmony Heights, Pune Residence, and Delhi Residence.
De, A. & Kabre, C. (2025) Impact of ceiling fans on thermal comfort and energy efficiency in institutional buildings. IBPSA.
2
De, A. & Garrison, M. (2026) Statistical convergence of insulation material cooling performance under SSP-morphed climate scenarios. ASCE JAE (under review).
3
De, A. & Felkner, J. (2026) Neuro-Symbolic AI for LEED compliance. arXiv:2607.15647 (under review).
4
De, A. et al. (2026) Outcome-based code sufficiency for residential IAQ in an industrial fenceline community. ESS Open Archive.