Nan “Nancy” Ma, PhD, Assoc. AIA, is an Assistant Professor of Architectural Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and the founding director of the Laboratory for Healthy, Environmental, and Resilient Buildings (HERB-Lab). Dr. Ma’s work leverages information technologies, AI, sensors, networks, and advanced computational tools to redefine buildings as living interfaces between people, technology, and climate. Her research advances new ways to sense, model, and design the relationships among people, buildings, and cities, with applications ranging from indoor environmental health and energy systems to human-building interaction and urban resilience. She has coauthored more than 30 peer-reviewed scientific papers, including work recognized with a Best Paper Award by Building and Environment, and is the recipient of the prestigious IBPSA-USA Emerging Contributor Award. Her professional leadership includes service on the Early Career Editorial Board of Indoor Environments, the ACM technical program committee, the IBPSA-USA research committee, and as subcommittee chair of ASHRAE TC 7.10.  Dr. Ma holds a PhD in Architecture (Building Technology) from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Architecture, and a Bachelor of Environments from the University of Melbourne, Australia.

Visit Digital WPI to view student projects advised by Professor Ma.