Adjunct Associate Professor Wendy Miller

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Program Lead - Energy efficiency and recovery

PhD (Queensland University of Technology), Master Music Studies (University of Queensland)

I initiate and conduct industry and government funded socio-technical research in energy efficiency, renewable energy and resilience in the built environment, with a particular focus on housing. Current research projects include resilient cooling, living laboratories, electronic building passports, building regulation and compliance, natural ventilation, and indoor environment quality. I am especially interested in the rise of prosumers and what this means to energy policy, regulations and markets. Past research projects include ARC funded projects on manufactured housing and sustainable housing; National Climate Change Adaptation research on housing and heatwaves; industry funded research on the impact of cool roof coatings for cooling loads in subtropical and tropical buildings, and post-occupancy performance assessment of subtropical and tropical housing. I am particularly involved in promoting and implementing multidisciplinary research teams that embrace systems thinking, including

  • building simulation and modelling
  • building science (e.g. the role of advanced glazing and 'cool roof' coatings)
  • post-occupancy performance assessment
  • supply chain management and innovation diffusion
  • the links between urban planning, buildings and the electricity network
  • sociology (human behaviour, culture and practice)
  • human-computer interaction (e.g. beyond Smart Meters) and
  • regulation and economics in the built environment / energy sectors

Projects (Chief investigator)

Projects

Additional information

I am a strong believer in continuous education through a wide range of real world engagement opportunities - for both myself and my students. Some of my personal experiences include

  • 2019 and current: Australian representative on Annex 80 - Resilient Cooling (an International Energy Agency Annex)
  • 2019 -2020: Australian representative on the Board of Air Infiltration and Ventilation Centre (an International Energy Agency Annex)
  • 2018/19: Six month Rutherford Fellowship at Brunel University, London
  • 2017: hosting visiting professor from Karlsruhe, Germany
  • 2016: BersPro4.1 Certification (Building Simulation software used by industry for house energy rating in Australia)
  • 2016: Level 1 Thermography Certificate, University of Melbourne / Infrared Training Centre Sweden
  • 2012: Building Solutions training course (summer school) University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna

Some real world student experiences that I have organised include

  • Establishment of industry-based final year projects (for engineer undergraduates) and supervision of over 80 students in more than 25 projects since 2015
  • Summer internships for students from Italy and India
  • Two students selection for attending the International Student Energy Summit in Bali, 2015
  • Four students participating as volunteers at the Solar Decathlon 2016 in the USA (2016)
  • Two students participating in University Alliance Graduate Summer School in the UK (2017)
  • One PhD student participating in exchange to Karlsruhe, Germany (2018)
Type
Appointment to State/National/International Reference Group or Government Committees
Reference year
2018
Details
In November 2017 I was contacted by the Australian Government Department of Environment and Energy to consider participation in one or more new annexes proposed for the IEA EBC program. On discussion with the Department, I expressed strong interest in the new annex "Resilient Cooling in Residential and Small Commercial Buildings" because of its strong alliance with my research strengths and interests. I attended the first planning workshop for this Annex in Vienna on 27th April 2018 - the only participant actively representing sub-tropical and tropical climates. This workshop discussed the scope, activities and expected deliverables of the Annex. The four identified sub-tasks include Technologies; Integrated Solutions; Case studies (assessment and optimisation of real performance) and Regulatory Context.
Type
Other
Reference year
2018
Details
A journal paper published by my team on 17th April 2018 ("Power Quality and Rooftop-Photovoltaic Households: An Examination of Measured Data at Point of Customer Connection") was the key reference for an online article published by Renew Economy on 27th April.The online article quoted substantial parts of our publication and provided a direct link to the open access article (http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/4/1224/htm). The article has attracted 92 likes and 27 comments to date (29 April). The open access journal article has been downloaded 264 times, receiving an above average attention score. The Renew Economy article resulted in direct contact with 2 researchers working in energy policy in Australia.#1: Hi Wendy,This is an excellent paper. It will be very useful evidence when the AEMC turns its attention next month to PV connection costs and the prospect of charging for exports to the grid. In the Distribution Market Model last year they highlighted a litany of engineering issue
Type
Assessor, Examiner or Supervisor Role
Reference year
2017
Details
2017 Invited examiner for a M.Phil thesis through Faculty of Business (UniSA) because of my expertise in stakeholder relationship assessment / management / policy as it relates to energy issues. Title of thesis: Wind Farms in South Australia: A multi-level case analysis of stakeholder responses to planning policy changes
Type
Keynote Speaker/Expert Panel Member/Invited Speaker for a Conference
Reference year
2017
Details
Invited expert panel member for March 2017 event in Sydney re the built environment and electricity infrastructure. This gave me the opportunity to present my multidisciplinary, 'whole systems' research to a wide range of industry associations and has lead to ongoing communication and discussions with ASBEC. I was invited to provide a tropical case study to a national publication of ASBEC and Climate Works that was released in February 2018: "The Bottom Line - household impacts of delaying improved energy requirements in the Building Code".
Type
Committee Role/Editor or Chair of an Academic Conference
Reference year
2016
Details
Member of scientific committee for Sustainable Built Environment (SBE) 2016 Hamburg conference (March 2016). Reviewer of scientific papers; advisory on scientific program; session chair
Type
Committee Role/Editor or Chair of an Academic Conference
Reference year
2016
Details
Chair of conference, hosted at QUT. This was the first time this conference series was held outside of Japan / China. My roles included liaising with Chinese and Japanese previous hosts; establishing and managing a conference organisation committee and scientific committee; devising and delivering a diverse and inclusive conference program; managing review and publication of scientific papers; passing on conference information to the next host (New Zealand).
Title
From innovators to mainstream market: a toolkit for transforming Australian housing and maximising sustainability outcomes for stakeholders
Primary fund type
CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
Project ID
LP130100650
Start year
2014
Keywords
Housing supply chain; Building performance; Residential construction processes
Title
Diffusion of manufactured high performance green houses: a mixed-methods management study of innovation obstacles
Primary fund type
CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
Project ID
LP120100348
Start year
2012
Keywords
Innovation; Housing; Sustainability; Prefabrication
Title
A Framework for Adaptation of Australian Households to Heat Waves
Primary fund type
CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
Project ID
SI11 03
Start year
2011
Keywords