Projects per year
Overview
Profile summary
I am a Lecturer in Building Engineering in the Built Environment discipline at the University of Plymouth. My research sits at the interface of building physics, urban climate and building energy. I investigate how thermal, morphological and operational processes across buildings and urban environments shape energy demand, indoor and outdoor thermal conditions, and climate-related thermal risk under changing climates.
A central aim of my research is to understand how built-environment interventions can support both climate mitigation and adaptation. I am particularly interested in when measures such as retrofit, natural ventilation, and electrified heating and cooling can reduce energy demand and thermal risk, and when they create trade-offs or shift impacts between buildings and the wider urban environment. My work combines building performance simulation and urban climate modelling, with a growing emphasis on empirical and data-enabled approaches.
Before joining Plymouth, I was a Research Associate at the Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University, and completed my PhD in Energy and Environmental Engineering at the University of Reading. I am Principal Investigator of the UMAR project, which develops an urban microclimate-aware framework for climate-resilient energy-demand reduction through building retrofit.
I welcome enquiries from prospective students and collaborators interested in urban climate, building energy modelling, low-carbon retrofit, thermal resilience and climate-related heat exposure.
Professional memberships
- Elected ECR Secretary (2026-2028) of International Association of Urban Climate (IAUC)
- Member of International Building Performance Simulation Association (IBPSA)
- Graduate Member of Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE)
- Interim CEng
Roles on external bodies
I am currently Secretary of the Early Career Committee of the International Association for Urban Climate (IAUC).
I have served as a peer reviewer for a range of international journals, including Architectural Engineering and Design Management, Building and Environment, Building Simulation, Environmental Research Letters, Journal of Building Engineering, Nature Communications, Scientific Data, and Weather, Climate, and Society.
Teaching interests
- BLDG507 Low Energy Building Design
- BLDG511 Building Services Engineering
- BLDG608 Building Control and Commissioning
- BLDG611 Research Methods
Additional information
Academic qualifications
PhD Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Reading
2018 → 2023
MSc Architectural Engineering Design, University of Sheffield
2017 → 2018
BEng (Hons) Building Services Engineering, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
2013 → 2017
External positions
Research Associate, Cardiff University
2023 → 2024
Research Interests
- Climate-responsive indoor environments
- Urban microclimate impacts on building performance
- Multi-scale urban-building modelling
- Climate-resilient retrofit
- Vulnerable occupant exposure and environmental inequality
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
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SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy
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SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
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SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production
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SDG 13 Climate Action
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Projects
- 1 Finished
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Urban microclimate-aware retrofitting framework for climate-resilient energy demand reduction (UMAR)
Goodhew, S. (CoI - Co-Investigator), Alencastro, J. (CoI - Co-Investigator), Oladinrin, O. (CoI - Co-Investigator) & Xie, X. (PI - Principal Investigator)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
1/10/25 → 30/09/26
Project: Research
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Gap filling crowdsourced air temperature data in cities using data-driven approaches
He, M., Luo, Z., Xie, X., Wang, P., Wang, H. & Zapata-Lancaster, G., 1 Mar 2025, In: Building and Environment. 271, 112593.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Making intra-urban monitoring ‘a walk in the park’: A mobile monitoring approach for assessing pedestrians’ environmental conditions
Lam, C. K. C., Alnaqshabandy, H., Lewin, S., Morewood, J., Xie, X. & Goodhew, S., 31 Jul 2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Building and Environment. 284, 113487.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Could residential air-source heat pumps exacerbate outdoor summer overheating and winter overcooling in UK 2050s climate scenarios?
Xie, X., Luo, Z., Grimmond, S., Liu, Y., Ugalde-Loo, C. E., Bailey, M. T. & Wang, X., 15 Nov 2024, In: Sustainable Cities and Society. 115, 105811.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Spatial and temporal variation of anthropogenic heat emissions in Colombo, Sri Lanka
Blunn, L., Xie, X., Grimmond, S., Luo, Z., Sun, T., Perera, N., Ratnayake, R. & Emmanuel, R., Mar 2024, In: Urban Climate. 54, 101828.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Impact of building density on natural ventilation potential and cooling energy saving across Chinese climate zones
Xie, X., Luo, Z., Grimmond, S. & Sun, T., 1 Oct 2023, In: Building and Environment. 244, 110621.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access
Prizes
Media stories
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Study Data from Cardiff University Update Knowledge of Information Technology (Gap Filling Crowdsourced Air Temperature Data In Cities Using Data-driven Approaches)
27/02/25
1 item of Media coverage
Media story
Datasets
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Could residential air-source heat pumps exacerbate outdoor summer overheating and winter overcooling in UK 2050s climate scenarios? - dataset
Xie, X. (Creator), Luo, Z. (Creator), Grimmond, S. (Creator), Liu, Y. (Creator), Ugalde Loo, C. E. (Creator), Bailey, M. (Creator) & Wang, X. (Creator), ZENODO, 20 Aug 2024
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.13351764, https://zenodo.org/records/13351764
Dataset