Navid Hatefnia

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT NAVID HATEFNIA

I work at the intersection of climate science and data analytics, with a background in climate data applications, remote sensing, and machine learning. Over the past fifteen years, I’ve gained experience in leading international teams and supporting the delivery of large-scale projects, particularly in the field of climate services. My career began in 2008, combining design strategy with climate-responsive analysis. As an architect and urban design strategist, I focused on human comfort in the built environment, contributing to award-winning projects and teaching topics such as \"Climate Adaptive Design\" and \"Computation\" at universities in Tehran. In 2012, I joined PJCarew Consulting, where I helped develop methods for analyzing environmental parameters, which led to several publications and conference presentations. This work laid the groundwork for my Ph.D. at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), where I researched ambient radiation and its role in climate-responsive design. In 2019, I joined Buro Happold, where I focus on solving problems that sit at the intersection of data science and environmental design. My work involves developing advanced methods to analyze how the built environment interacts with climate, addressing factors like solar glare, radiation, wind, and human thermal comfort. I’ve also worked extensively with Earth observation data, contributing to long-term climate data records, instrument calibration, and uncertainty quantification. I apply machine learning to better understand weather and climate-related patterns in urban areas, and I’m experienced in processing large datasets and working with cloud-based services. Collaboration has been a consistent theme throughout my work. I’ve supported coordination efforts on climate topics within our global organization and have contributed to defining user needs, engaging with cities and stakeholders, and representing my team at international events—especially in discussions around the use of satellite data for climate monitoring, adaptation planning, and urban heat mitigation.