Kristina Orehounig appointed head of laboratory
New leadership for «Urban Energy Systems»
On 1 February 2018, Kristina Orehounig, who currently conducts research at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, will become the new Head of the Urban Energy Systems Laboratory at Empa, taking over from Viktor Dorer.
Kristina Orehounig studied architecture at Vienna University of Technology and gained her doctorate in the field of building simulation. She became involved with teaching during her doctorate, first as a university assistant, and later as an Assistant Professor in Building Performance Computing. Since 2012, Kristina Orehounig has been a Senior Researcher and Lecturer at the Department of Building Physics at ETH Zurich, as well as Group Leader for Urban Energy Systems at ETH and Empa in Dübendorf. In 2013, she also took over responsibility for coordinating the Integrated Building Systems Master's degree program at ETH Zurich.
The selection committee at Empa praised Kristin Orehounig's high level of scientific competence and breadth of expertise in its appraisal. The Empa Board followed the recommendation of the selection committee and appointed Kristina Orehounig as the new Head of the Urban Energy Systems Laboratory as of 1 February 2018. She will take over from Viktor Dorer. Dorer has worked at Empa since 1988 and has been the head of the laboratory since it was founded in 2015. Until his retirement in 2019, Victor Dorer will performing various functions in the laboratory.
Kristina Orehounig's research interests lie mainly in the development of sustainable energy concepts for building design and usage and in the modelling and optimisation of urban energy systems. She has worked on various national and international research projects. For example, she is currently managing a work package for the Swiss Competence Center for Energy Research entitled Future energy efficient buildings and districts (SCCER-FEEB&D).