Projects per year
Personal profile
Research interests
Nick McCullen is a Lecturer in the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering. He is interested in how the complex interactions between the various components, such as buildings, technology, the environment, and people, result in the energy consumption of the built environment.
Nick gained his undergraduate Master’s degree in Physics at the University of Manchester. He spent two years teaching English in rural Japan on the Japan Exchange Teaching (JET) programme before returning for his PhD in the Manchester Centre for Nonlinear Dynamics. On this he researched chaotic phenomena in coupled oscillators, with application to many complex behaviours arising from the interactions between simple systems. One application of the research was sensitive signal detection, related to the resonant coupling of oscillations found in insect hearing.
Nick's first post-doctoral research position was at the University of Bath, investigating electrical network models of composite materials in the Bath Institute for Complex Systems.This involved modelling the microstructure of these materials as many individual elements coupled via a network of interactions between them, to understand the macroscopic, system level 'emergent properties' observed in physical experiments.
This line of research led him to the University of Leeds as part of the multi-disciplinary project Future energy decision—making for cities: Can complexity science rise to the challenge. Nick's work involved mathematical and computational modelling of the influence of various factors affecting the uptake of energy efficiency innovations by individual households in a city, including the influence of peers via their personal social network.
Research
Nick is currently involved in research proposals related to the modelling of the vastly complex city energy systems and end users to better understand energy use in cities and homes.
A part of this is working out what measures will be necessary to address the twin challenge of making cities capable of both remaining habitable by adapting to the possible effects of future climate change, and also mitigating further change by providing the energy needs of their citizens more sustainably.
Teaching interests
Low Carbon Design
Willing to supervise doctoral students
Interested in supervising students studying:
- Energy use in buildings and cities
- Complex interactions and behaviours involved in energy consumption
- Distributed generation in cities
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Projects
- 7 Finished
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NERC growing roots with Easton Data Garden
McCullen, N. (PI) & Padget, J. (PI)
Natural Environment Research Council
5/11/21 → 25/03/22
Project: Research council
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Newton Fund - Zero Peak Building Energy Design for India
Natarajan, S. (PI), Coley, D. (CoI), Davenport, J. (CoI), McCullen, N. (CoI) & Walker, I. (CoI)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
1/11/17 → 31/10/22
Project: Research council
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dCarb CDT PhD studentship - Optimising phase change material use for energy-efficient buildings
Ferrandiz-Mas, V. (PI), Wadee, A. (Researcher), McCullen, N. (CoI) & Walker, P. (CoI)
2/10/17 → 28/02/22
Project: Research-related funding
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COLBE - The Creation of Localized Current and Future Weather for the Built Environment
Coley, D. (PI), Budd, C. (CoI), McCullen, N. (CoI) & Natarajan, S. (CoI)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
1/09/15 → 31/08/19
Project: Research council
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SIAM Conference on Applications of Dynamical Systems in Snowbird, Utah
McCullen, N. (PI)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
9/02/15 → 9/07/15
Project: Research council
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Promoting Sustainable Land Management: An Innovative Approach to Land-Take Decision-Making
Gupta, P., Bharat, A., McCullen, N. & Kershaw, T., 1 Feb 2025, In: Land Use Policy. 149, 107419.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Forecasting and Mapping the Environmental and Health Impacts of Sustainable Regional Transport Policies
Prior Filipe, R., Heath, A., Mccullen, N. & Smith, T., 1 Jun 2024, In: Sustainability. 16, 11, 4728.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access1 Citation (SciVal) -
Optimising peak energy reduction in networks of buildings
Poghosyan, A., McCullen, N. & Natarajan, S., 1 Dec 2024, In: Scientific Reports. 14, 1, 3916.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile49 Downloads (Pure) -
The Distribution of the Economic Impacts of Sustainable Regional Transport Policies
Filipe, R. P. F., Heath, A. & McCullen, N., 8 Jul 2024, In: Sustainability. 16, 13, 18 p., 5819.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
The effect of thermal cycling on the thermal and chemical stability of paraffin phase change materials (PCMs) composites
Wadee, A., Walker, P., McCullen, N. & Ferrandiz-Mas, V., 28 Feb 2025, In: Materials and Structures. 58, 1, 25.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access