| Andrew Sonta, Director | |
| Andrew directs the ETHOS Lab and is a tenure-track assistant professor of civil engineering. Previously, he was a postdoctoral research fellow at Columbia University’s Data Science Institute working in the smart cities focus area. He received his PhD and MS in civil engineering from Stanford University’s Sustainable Design and Construction program, where he studied energy consumption patterns and occupant behavioral dynamics in buildings. He holds a BS in civil engineering from Northwestern University, where he also studied economics and architecture. Outside the lab, you might find him exploring the mountains or cooking an elaborate meal. |  |
| Matteo Favero, Postdoctoral Scientist | |
| Matteo is a Postdoctoral Researcher at EPFL and a member of the ETHOS Lab. He completed his PhD in civil and environmental engineering at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in October 2022. Before enrolling in the PhD program, Matteo received his MSc and BSc in building engineering from Politecnico di Milano, Italy. He has also worked as a building engineer and consultant for the private sector. In his spare time, Matteo enjoys meeting up with friends, playing five-a-side football and participating in outdoor activities. |  |
| Vasantha Ramani, Postdoctoral Scientist | |
| Vasantha is a post-doctoral researcher with the ETHOS lab. She was previously working as a postdoctoral researcher with Berkeley Education Alliance for Research in Singapore. She completed her PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from National University of Singapore in 2019. She has obtained master’s and bachelor’s degree from University of British Columbia, Vancouver and National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli respectively. |  |
| Kanaha Shoji, PhD Student | |
| Kanaha is a PhD student in the ETHOS lab. Before she joined the lab, she worked in the simulating biological systems group in the Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, St Gallen. She has an MS in environmental sciences and engineering from EPFL, with a minor in IDEAS: Integrated design, environment, architecture, and sustainability. She obtained her BS in environmental engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. In her free time, she plays the violin, travels around, reads books, enjoys outdoor activities, and goes on adventures. |  |
| Yufei Zhang, PhD Student | |
| Yufei is a doctoral student in the ETHOS Lab. He received his MSc degree from the Integrated Building System Programme at ETH Zurich, where he studied the design and operation of urban energy systems via simulation and data-driven approaches. He obtained his BSc from Tongji University in China, also majoring in energy applications in the built environment. In his free time, he enjoys street workouts and is always fascinated by video games. |  |
| Tarun Verma, Visiting PhD Student | |
| Tarun is a visiting PhD student at the ETHOS Lab, holding an undergraduate degree in architecture from MNIT Jaipur, India, and a master’s degree in Energy-Efficient and Sustainable Architecture from NIT Trichy, India. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. at NIT Trichy. He has been granted the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship for the academic year 2023-24. During his tenure at ETHOS Lab, he will be focusing on research related to human-building interaction and energy efficiency. In his leisure time, Tarun enjoys watching movies, traveling, and engaging in meaningful conversations with friends. |  |
| Benjamin Tarver, Undergraduate Intern | |
| Benjamin is a visiting undergraduate student from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) who is interested in the intersection of climate crisis mitigation efforts with engineering and urban planning. During the academic year, he works at UCSD’s Center for Energy Research, where he is investigating the technical potential of implementing solar water heating technology in on-campus buildings. When he’s not working, he enjoys exploring walkable urban spaces and parks as well as cooking one-pot/pan meals. |  |
| Melanie Schmidiger, Administrative Assistant | |
| Contact: [email protected] |  |
Alumni
Maëlle Voisard, BS/MS Student, EPFL Summer in the Lab Program