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College of Design

Soolyeon Cho, Ph.D.

SC
Soolyeon Cho

Associate Dean of Research, Doctoral Programs and Global Engagement; Professor of Architecture; Director of Building Energy Technology Lab (BETlab)

Brooks Hall 200C

919-513-8061
http://design.ncsu.edu/betlab

Bio

Dr. Cho joined the architecture faculty at NC State University in 2011. He began his academic career at The Catholic University of America in Washington DC where he taught building energy and technology courses in the Master of Science in Sustainable Design (MSSD) program for three years.

Dr. Cho’s expertise is in the energy modeling and performance simulation for the design and development of sustainable buildings. His teaching includes Energy Modeling & Simulation, Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, and Building Energy Optimization. His research and work experience includes energy savings calculation, high-performance building design, energy-efficient systems design, renewable energy systems integration, and performance Measurement and Verification (M&V).

Dr. Cho’s research is interdisciplinary, dealing with both architectural, environmental, and engineering subjects for the design and development of sustainable built environment. He extensively utilizes energy modeling and simulation technologies, especially using one of the most advanced programs such as EnergyPlus developed by US DOE. The use of the technology is to predict potential energy benefits from the early design phases through the life of a building, which can help make optimal design/development decisions in terms of energy efficiency, while maintaining the same or better occupant comfort conditions at the same time. Also, Dr. Cho utilizes Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and Deep Learning (DL) technologies to develop algorithms for optimal controls of HVAC and energy systems.

Currently, Dr. Cho is the Director of the Building Energy Technology Lab (BETlab). BETlab is a research group concerned with Building Energy Technologies and Design Issues related to Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy in buildings for the development of a Sustainable Built Environment.

Website:

http://design.ncsu.edu/betlab

Professional Experience

2023 – pres.  Associate Dean of Research, Doctoral Programs, and Global Engagement
2021-2022     Interim Associate Dean of Research, Doctoral Programs, and Global Engagement
2020–pres.   Professor, School of Architecture, College of Design
                        North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC.
2015–pres.    Director, PhD in Design Program, College of Design
                        North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC.
2014–2020   Associate Professor, School of Architecture, College of Design
                        North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC.
2011–pres.    Director, Building Energy Technology Laboratory (BETlab)
                        North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC.
2011–2014    Assistant Professor, School of Architecture, College of Design
                        North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC.
2008–2011    Associate Director, Center for Building Stewardship
                        The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC.
2008–2011    Assistant Professor, School of Architecture
                        The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC.
2010–2010    Research Faculty, Summer Fellowship Program
                        Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA.
2000–2008    Research Associate/Assistant, Energy Systems Laboratory
                        Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas.
1998–1999    Research Assistant, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
                        University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.
1994–1997    Mechanical Design Engineer, Ship Building Division
                        Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd., South Korea.
1990–1992    Airport Operations Crew, Foreign Aircraft Operations Division
                        Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF), Busan, South Korea.

For more information about Dr. Cho and his research laboratory, visit the BETlab website HERE.

Education

Ph.D. in Architecture (Building Science & Engineering) Texas A&M University

M.S. in Mechanical Engineering (Energy Systems) Texas A&M University

B.S. in Mechanical Engineering University of Ulsan, South Korea

Area(s) of Expertise

Building Energy Modeling, Simulation, and Optimization, Building Performance Measurement & Verification (M&V), HVAC Control Optimization, using Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and Deep Learning (DL) technologies, Sustainable (High-Performance) Building Design, Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) & Performance Monitoring, Energy Efficiency & Renewable

Groups