Dr Sura Al-Maiyah she/her
Research and expertise
Dr Sura Al-Maiyah is Senior Lecturer and the BEng and MEng Architectural Engineering Programme Director at Loughborough University. Prior to her current position, she led the BSc Architecture Programme at the University of Salford, the Master Course in Sustainable Architecture at the School of Architecture, University of Portsmouth, worked in the research-based practice Short and Associates Architects in London, and held a Research Associate position at the School of Built Environment at Ulster University.
Sura’s research interest is in daylight and health, building occupants’ comfort and well-being, sustainability, and building performance. She is the co-author of ‘’Daylight, Design and Place-Making’’ by Routledge (2021) and the author of over 30 journal papers and international refereed conference papers. Sura has led and collaborated on funded research projects including the AHRC-funded project MOVE (£188K) and served as a reviewer for several journals, conferences, and funding bodies. She is a member of the AHRC’s Peer Review College (PRC), a reviewer for the Council for At-Risk Academics (CARA), a member of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), the Society of Light and Lighting (SLL) and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy since 2011. She supervised PhD students in the areas of thermal and visual comfort of building occupants, ageing population and inclusive living environments, children’s health and Inclusive playing environments.
Current research activity:
- 2018/22: Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the Science & Technology Development Fund (STDF) of Egypt, Collaboration with Ain Shams University, and the University of Portsmouth (£188K, AH/R007810/1) – Co-I.
Recently completed research projects
- 2018/20: Monitoring energy and environmental performance of a newly occupied nursing & residential care home – Collaboration with Seddon Construction Ltd and Kingsley Healthcare Group – Project Lead.
- 2018: Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Development Network event – Jordan, Amman (Newton – UKRI AHRC fund).
- 2016/17: Enhancing Visual Perception Using Daylight Digital Modelling: Case Study of the Whistler Room at Mottisfont, Hampshire, Collaboration with the National Trust – CCI Research Accelerator Fund, University of Portsmouth.
- 2014/16: Post Occupancy Evaluation of Daylighting and the Thermal Environment of the New Eldon West – CCI Research Accelerator Fund, University of Portsmouth.
- 2012: An assessment of the visual performance of listed buildings in the Eastern Mediterranean region – Centre for Art, Architecture and Design (CAAD) and Portsmouth School of Architecture, University of Portsmouth.
- 2011: Study on the visual performance of traditional settlements in Cairo: a physical model-based approach – Centre for Art, Architecture and Design (CAAD), University of Portsmouth.
- 2007-2008: Design Strategy for Low Energy Ventilation and Cooling of Health Buildings – Funded by the UK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Cambridge University-based research project.