Lorenzo Castelli, a third-year doctoral student in mechanical engineering (MECH) at Rice, has been named an IBUILD Fellow by the Buildings Technology Office of the U.S. Department of Energy.
The IBUILD (Innovation in Buildings) Fellowship program is managed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and supports research-intensive building technologies in fields relevant to energy efficiency.
Castelli graduated with a B.S. in MECH from the University of Texas at Austin in 2021. He works in the Nanoscale Heat Transfer Lab of Geoff Wehmeyer, assistant professor of MECH.
Castelli’s current research focuses on developing passive thermal management devices, including thermal transistors and thermal regulators. His proposed work for the IBUILD Fellowship will extend and apply these thermal devices for improved building thermal management.
“Lorenzo’s research has shown that we can passively switch and amplify heat flows using new thermal technologies,” Wehmeyer said. “His work opens the door for innovative designs to improve the energy efficiency of buildings using passive, low-power thermal solutions.”
Castelli is one of nine students selected nationally for the highly competitive fellowship, which provides full financial support for graduate students and connects them with researchers in the Building Technology Office.