Summary
Currently exploring data use in building retrofit decision-making, as a visiting researcher to The Alan Turing Institute under their Data Centric Engineering Programme, through the Data-Driven Design under Uncertainty Grand Challenge, funded by the Lloyds Register Foundation.
This builds on 10 years of building energy and retrofit research, most recently identifying the skills and knowledge required to achieve sustainable construction at the University of Leeds, while teaching in construction and engineering, gaining Associate Fellowship to the Higher Education Academy.
Kate completed her PhD on housing retrofit at the LoLo Centre for Doctoral Training in Energy Demand, School of Architecture, Civil and Building Engineering at Loughborough University, following an MRes on indoor air quality in schools, gaining interdisciplinary quantitative and qualitative research training.
Previously, Kate worked within consultancy teams, including the Centre for Sustainable Energy on projects relating to smart city development and smart metering; plus UCL Energy Institute on the impacts of energy efficiency interventions to households living in fuel poverty, funded by Chesshire Lehmann.
Kate's initial inspiration for research in energy demand began during her BSc in Building Surveying at Leeds Sustainability Institute, Leeds Beckett University where she studied issues relating to energy-efficiency in traditional dwellings, based on case study properties she was responsible for maintaining while working as a trainee building surveyor at Gascoyne-Cecil Estates.
In addition to research, Kate has interest in action and engagement. She has volunteered on a deep retrofit dwelling project and won awards for engagement including first place for a film creatively communicating 'U-Values' from Sustainable Energy Academy & second place from Durham Energy Futures Film Festival; plus first place in engagement collaboration from Energy CDT network.
Publications
Journals
Murtagh N, Owen A, Simpson K, 2021, What motivates building repair-maintenance practitioners to include or avoid energy efficiency measures? Evidence from three studies in the United Kingdom, Energy Research and Social Science
Simpson K, Whyte J, Childs P, 2020, Data-centric innovation in retrofit: A bibliometric review of dwelling retrofit across North Western Europe, Energy and Buildings, Vol:229, ISSN:0378-7788, Pages:1-9
Simpson C, Janda KB, Owen A, 2020, Preparing ‘middle actors’ to deliver zero-carbon building transitions, Buildings and Cities, Vol:1, ISSN:2632-6655, Pages:610-624
Simpson K, Owen A, 2020, Reflections From Engaging a Network of Local Stakeholders in Discussing Training Needs for Sustainable Renovation, Frontiers in Built Environment, Vol:6, ISSN:2297-3362
Conference
Simpson C, 2020, Towards reproducible dwelling retrofit evaluation: Data, tools & opportunity to address uncertainty, BSO-V: IBPSA-England Building Simulation and Optimisation Conference 2020