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Research Associate ENAC IIC LESO-PB Lecturer ENAC ENAC-SAR SAR-ENS

Nicolas Morel Solar Energy and Building Physics Laboratory Dr. physicist birth date: 25.06.1948 nationality: suisse web site: http://people.epfl.ch/nicolas.morel office(s): LE2201 phone(s): [+41 21 69] 34546 private phone: +41-21-693 4546 fax: +41-21-693 2722 MISSION Research: - Project leader for the "Integrated Systems and Bio-Mimetic Control Systems for Building Services" domain - Project leader for the "Advanced Building Design Tools" domain Teaching: - Postgraduate course for advanced control systems - Organizing the regular scientific seminars of the LESO-PB BIOGRAPHY EDUCATION - 1955-1967: elementary & high school (scientific section) in Geneva - 1967-1972: engineer study at EPFL, Physics section (final personal research in nuclear physics electronics) - 1972-1979: PhD at Lausanne State University, Institute of Nuclear Physics (PhD thesis: Contribution to the Realization of a Gamma Electron-Positron Pair Spectrometer and Measurement of Negative Pion Capture by Hydrogen Nuclei in Hydrogen Chemical Compounds) - 1986-1987: postgraduate course in Artificial Intelligence at EPFL - 1993-1994: postgraduate course in Artificial and Biological Neural Networks at EPFL PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE - 1972-1979: work and study (PhD) at Lausanne State University, Institute of Nuclear Physics >>> Nuclear electronics >>> Teaching activity for supporting students in applied courses on general and nuclear physics >>> Research and development on the electronic circuits of the electron-positron pair spectrometer realized by the Insitute of Nuclear Physics for research work at CERN (European Center for Nuclear Research) and SIN (Swiss Institute for Nuclear Research, now Paul Scherer Institute) >>> Participation to the final assembly, testing and calibration of the spectrometer >>> Measurement of negative pions capture in hydrogen chemical compounds - 1979-now: work at the Solar Energy and Building Physics Laboratory (EPFL) >>> 1979-1987: research on thermal simulation of solar devices and passive and low energy buildings (IEA Programmes Solar Heating and Cooling and Energy Conservation in Buildings) >>> 1987-1994: research on expert systems for thermal building design and integration of design tools >>> 1989: research on computer building representation (International Workshop on Computer Building Representation, organized by LESO-PB/EPFL) >>> 1993-1994: development of a computer aided learning tool for teaching building physics to architecture students >>> 1994: participation to a research project on transparent insulation materials >>> 1995: two months stay at NIRIN (Nagoya, Japan) as an invited scientist >>> 1995-now: various research and development projects regarding advanced control algorithms for building services (heating, cooling, ventilation, blinds, electric lighting): projects DELTA (blind controller), NEUROBAT (heating controller), EU-EDIFICIO (integration of several smart control algorithms for building services), EU-SMART WINDOW (a self-contained window element with integrated control of shading and ventilation), ADCONTROL (an advanced control algorithm for blind and electric lighting using Genetic Algorithms), VELUX (control of an electrochromic glazing), EU-ECCO-BUILD (an advanced control algorithm for complex shading systems such as venetian bllinds) >>> 1996-1998: development of two computer tools for calculating the shading caused by surrounding masks on buildings (LESO-SHADE) and evaluating the thermal comfort level in a building (LESO-COMFORT) >>> 2003-2005: research and development project SUNtool (a computer tool to design urban neighborhoods minimizing the use of energy and resources) EXTRA-PROFESSIONAL INTERESTS - Reading, music, politics, travel - 1990-1998: member of the Grand Conseil (legislative council) of the Canton of Vaud, as a Green Party representative - 1999-2001: member of the Constitution Assembly of the Canton of Vaud, as a Green Party representative MAIN PUBLICATIONS High Resolution Pair Spectrometer For Medium Energy Photons, J.C.Alder, B.Gabioud, C.Joseph, J.F.Loude, N.Morel, A.Perrenoud, J.P.Perroud, M.T.Tran, B.Vaucher, E.Winkelmann, Nuclear Instrumentation 160(1), pp 93-114 (1979) Contribution à la réalisation d'un spectromètre à paires électrons-positrons, et mesure de la capture par l'hydrogène des pions négatifs arrêtés dans des composés hydrogénés, N. Morel, PhD Thesis, Lausanne University (1979) Die Anwendung von Expertensystemen in den Energiesimulation und in ihrer Interpretation in das computerunterstützte Entewerfen, N.Kohler, N.Morel, in KI-Forschung im Baubereich 69-84, Ernst & Sohn Publisher (1990) Design Tools for Building Thermal Analysis - The Significance of Integration, N.Morel, A.Faist, Building & Environment, Special Issue on the Present and Future in Building Thermal and HVAC Analysis (1992) NEUROBAT, A Predictive and Adaptive Heating Control System Using Artificial Neural Networks, N.Morel, M.Bauer, M.El-Khoury, J.Krauss, Internatiional Journal of Solar Energy 21 (2001) An Energy-Efficient Controller for Shading Devices Self-Adapting to the User Wishes, A.Guillemin, N.Morel, Building & Environment 37(11), pp 1091-1097 (2002)

Skills - Bio-inspired advanced control systems for building services (heating, cooling, ventilation, solar shadings, electric lighting) - Thermal simulation of buildings - Expert systems for building design Teaching Architecture Diagnostics ENAC, approaches and measurement tools [fr] Energy within buildings [fr] (SMX SEL SEME SGM SSIE SGC SCGC)