Dr Negin Nazarian’s research is about understanding the negative impact of climate in cities (such as heat) and helping develop methods for cooling our cities and people. She does that by studying how urban design (like building density or vegetation cover) and climate change (like more frequent heatwaves) interact with each other. Dr Nazarian also looks at who gets hit hardest by the heat – because it’s not the same for everyone. As an example of her research with direct societal impact and importance, she works with local councils all over Australia (from Alice Springs to Canberra) to help them map heat exposure in public spaces, which helps identify the most appropriate urban heat interventions using a ‘cool rating’ system.
2024