Dr. Juana Isabel Méndez is a researcher and lecturer at Tecnológico de Monterrey, Universidad del Medio Ambiente, and CENTRO. She earned her PhD in Engineering Sciences from Tecnológico de Monterrey (doctoral stay at UC Berkeley) and a Master’s in Energy Management and Renewable Sources (graduating first in her cohort) at Tecnológico de Monterrey; a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from the same institution; and a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronic Design from Universidad Anáhuac. A recipient of the TecScience Summit’s Best Doctoral Thesis Award (2023) and the Premio Mujer Tec for Environment (2024), her work in energy efficiency, applied AI, thermal comfort, and building energy modeling has led to two co-authored books, 45+ publications, and two patent filings.
Dr. Mariel Alfaro-Ponce is an Assistant Professor in the Biomedical Engineering Program at Tecnologico de Monterrey Ciudad de Mexico. She completed her BSc studies in Biomedical Engineering, MSc studies in Microelectronic Engineering, and PhD studies in Computer Science at the Instituto Politecnico Nacional, Mexico. Since 2022, She has been the head of the Manufacturing Processes for Advanced Materials CDMX research unit. Her research interests include artificial intelligence, rehabilitation devices, and intelligent bioinstrumentation.
Dr. Emanuele Giorgi is the Director of Research at the National School of Architecture, Art and Design of Tecnológico de Monterrey. He completed his PhD studies in Civil Engineering and Architecture at the University of Pavia. In 2020, he published the book "The Co-Housing Phenomenon. Environmental Alliance in Times of Changes", which won the Rómulo Garza Award for Research and Innovation in 2021. His teaching disciplines and research interests include communities and territorial sustainable development.
Dr. Therese Peffer is an Associate Director of the California Institute for Energy and Environment (CIEE) at the University of California Berkeley. She completed her B.A. studies in Neurobiology and Psychology at the University of California Berkeley, M.Arch studies in Architecture at the University of Oregon in 1998, and PhD studies in Architecture at the University of California Berkeley in 2009. Her teaching disciplines include Keywords, and her interests include building energy, controls, thermostats, user interfaces, and behavior.
