Project Team

Negin is a Senior Research Fellow at Bodeker Scientific, specialising in biomimetic, adaptive building design and sustainable architecture. She has co-authored and edited three books on nature-inspired, energy-efficient design and leads interdisciplinary research on climate-responsive façades through nationally funded projects investigating kinetic shading systems to reduce building operational energy use. She is an affiliated Research Fellow at the University of Otago, a former Lecturer at Otago Polytechnic, and a former Postdoctoral Researcher at Victoria University of Wellington, and has also contributed to teaching and research at the Open Polytechnic. She is the founder of Biomimicry New Zealand, a Guest Editor for Biomimetics (MDPI), and a frequent invited speaker on biomimetic design and sustainable buildings. Her work has been recognised through national awards and research grants.

As the Primary Investigator and Research Leader for this project, Negin oversees a multidisciplinary team. She leads research across four interconnected studies, integrating motorised shading systems optimised and controlled with AI and 3D printing, and plant-inspired microstructures fabricated using 4D printing. Under her guidance, the team addresses key challenges such as the lack of large-scale experimental data and the limitations of current building simulation tools. The project brings together experts from Bodeker Scientific, the University of Canterbury, and Bioeconomy Science Institute, along with local and international partners, to develop scalable, high-performance adaptive façades. Negin directs the design, experimentation, and integration of these innovative systems, advancing New Zealand’s net-zero energy goals and setting new standards for sustainable, adaptive building design globally.

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Greg is the Director of Bodeker Scientific, and his expertise is in atmospheric and climate science, having published more than 150 papers in these fields. He has held international leadership roles in climate science, including for the World Climate Research Programme and the Global Climate Observing System. In addition to his primary work in climate science, he has also worked as a professional software developer. Since 2009 he has been an adjunct professor in the School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences, at Victoria University of Wellington. 

Greg's primary role in this project is to provide project oversight/management and to support Negin Imani as the project leader. Where relevant, Greg will also be contributing his skills in physics and software development to the computational simulations component of the project.  

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Sarith is an independent researcher and applications developer based in Berlin, Germany. Sarith holds a PhD and a MSc in Architectural Engineering from Penn State University. His past experience includes stints as a researcher and simulation tools developer in the fields of solar radiation, augmented vision, and thermal comfort.

Sarith is involved in this project as a simulation specialist and researcher. He is developing a scalable digital pipeline for the coupled simulation of various biomimetic facade prototypes to optimize their performance with regard to daylighting, thermal comfort, and natural ventilation.

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Rob is a Mechanical Engineer and Research Group Leader at BSI Scion, with expertise in additive manufacturing and process design.  His focus recently has been on engineering to scale-up sustainable processes to pilot-scale.

Rob's role on this project will initially be to work in close collaboration with materials experts to develop materials suitable for application in 4D printing.  He will then design and manufacture scaled-down prototype devices that incorporate these responsive materials, using tailored surface topography to enable controlled opening and closing in response to external stimuli.  The design process will be iterative, involving systematic refinement of geometry and material lay-up to achieve optimal and repeatable performance.

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Marie Joo is a General Manager at the Bioeconomy Science Institute (BSI - Scion Group) in Rotorua. With a background in science, she works at the intersection of composites, additive manufacturing, and biomaterials, translating bio-inspired principles into manufacturable material systems and applied technology. 

Her contribution to the project is centred on additively manufactured hygromorphic composites, where fibre orientation, layered architectures, and material selection are engineered to achieve controlled, stimulus-responsive movement.

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Associate Professor David Leung has a PhD in Plant Physiology and Biochemistry from the University of Calgary, Canada. At the University of Canterbury, he is the principal mentor of 28 successful PhD and 52 MSc research students, and has published 18 book chapters and 134 peer-quality assured journal papers.

David is a biologist  in Study 3 of this project, investigating surfaces of plants adapted to challenging environmental conditions.

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Shirley is a Research Assistant at the University of Canterbury with a PhD in Chemistry and postdoctoral experience spanning both Chemistry and Environmental Science. 

Her current work contributes to this project, where she investigates epicuticular wax crystal structures and their chemical composition in Cacti and Brassica species. shirley is passionate about understanding how natural surface adaptations can inspire innovative, sustainable materials and architectural solutions.

Elspeth is a Mentor to Negin and the project team. She has a PhD in Plant Physiology and has been employed by two Crown Research Institutes, now retired and privately contracting. She is currently co-chair of the International Advisory Council on Global Bioeconomy (IACGB), is a Handling Editor for the Journal of Experimental Botany (JXB) and is on the Fisher & Paykel Healthcare (FPH) Ecoadvisory Board. Historically, she was colead in the Science for Technological Innovation (SfTI) National Science Challenge for design, materials and manufacturing; and has lead bioeconomy associated activities for over 25 years.

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David is a senior structural engineer currently leading the Structures Testing Team at BRANZ where he has worked for the past 13 years.  Throughout his career he has been involved with all manner of timber buildings, ranging from traditional post and beam structures in the United States to post-tensioned timber buildings that are being implemented around the globe and developed here in New Zealand.  His 30 years of experience include construction, manufacturing, architecture and engineering.  

On this project, David is serving as a BRANZ representative providing feedback and advice on the project as it progresses in areas where BRANZ expertise may be valuable.

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Zara is a Senior Sustainability Consultant with 14 years of experience, holding a PhD in Sustainable Architecture and a Master’s degree in Energy and Architecture. Her work focuses on life cycle assessment, climate adaptation planning, green building certification, and developing sustainability strategies for buildings.

WSP is a project partner in this project, and Zara's role is to contribute sustainability expertise, including Life Cycle Assessment, embodied and operational carbon modelling, and building performance insights, to support the evaluation of façade systems and their potential application in real-world building projects.

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