Dr. Aysegul Demir Dilsiz is an Assistant Professor at the University of Wyoming. With a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin, her expertise lies in building energy simulations and urban energy models to assess climate change impacts. During her Ph.D., she also worked for Austin Energy Green Building department as an energy analyst. Her teaching and research are driven by a commitment to sustainable building practices, technological innovation in energy efficiency, and validation/calibration for better larger scale energy modeling tools. She got into supercomputing and data science to improve the performance of UBEM predictions via calibration. Currently, she is teaching and advising undergraduate/graduate students to encourage them in the building simulation area.
How long have you been a member of IBPSA-USA?
I've been a member of IBPSA-USA for about 4 years, having joined 2020. It has been a rewarding journey of growth and engagement with the community.
Why did you join IBPSA-USA?
I joined IBPSA-USA to connect with like-minded professionals and academics to enhance my skills in building performance simulation. IBPSA-USA's commitment to advance sustainable building design practices aligns with my professional and personal goals.
What’s your favorite part of being a member of IBPSA-USA?
The best part of being an IBPSA-USA member is the opportunity to engage in discussions about building performance, access a wealth of educational resources, and participate in informative webinars. The collaborative environment and the availability of expert resources are truly exceptional.
Can you describe the volunteer work you do with IBPSA-USA?
For the past two years, I have been actively involved in the IBPSA Research Committee and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. I also served on the technical committee for the SimBuild Conference, providing feedback on research papers.
How did you get involved with this volunteer work?
My initial connection to IBPSA and IBPSA-USA came through networking early in my membership, aided by platforms like LinkedIn, which featured announcements for volunteer opportunities. There are numerous committees, and I would encourage new members to attend one or two monthly meetings to find the one that resonates most with them.
To someone who is interested in participating in IBPSA-USA, do you have any words of encouragement?
I cherish the IBPSA-USA community as a supportive network where I can easily reach out with any work or personal queries. I encourage others to do the same and not hesitate to connect with any of us.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to enter the field of building performance simulation?
While this might not seem like a traditional path for an engineering student, believe me, there are great opportunities and a real need for involvement in building simulation. Try playing with building energy modeling tools, reading standards such as ASHRAE 90.1 (not all of it of course, but knowing Appendix G helps). Also, knowing how to faster your work by having data science skills is important.
Fun fact that people probably don’t know about you!
Born and raised in Turkey by parents who only completed elementary school, I am the first woman in my extended family to earn a Ph.D., a significant achievement particularly because it was awarded in the USA.
