Francesco NOCERA

Francesco Nocera is Full Professor of Building Physics and  Energy Systems (09/IIND-07B) at the University of Catania, Italy, where he has served since 2025. He graduated in Civil Engineering from the University of Catania in 1997 and received his Ph.D. in Applied Physics from the University of Palermo in 2002. Over the course of his career, he has combined strong academic foundations with an interdisciplinary approach, focusing on the thermophysical behavior of buildings, energy efficiency and environmental sustainability.

Before attaining the position of Full Professor, he served as Associate Professor of Building Physics and Building Energy Systems at the University of Catania between 2018 and 2024. During these years, he significantly contributed to the advancement of teaching and research in the field, guiding numerous students, Ph.D. candidates and research fellows. He has been particularly committed to linking academic research with international collaborations, professional associations and policy-making institutions.

He has also served as a Key Analysis Expert at the European Poly-technical University in Bulgaria, reflecting his engagement in the European academic landscape. He is an Honorary Member of ANIT, the Italian National Association for Thermal and Acoustic Insulation, which highlights his longstanding contributions to the improvement of building energy performance and indoor environmental quality. Within his home institution, he was appointed Rector’s Delegate for the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), promoting the integration of the UN 2030 Agenda into academic, scientific and outreach activities. Furthermore, he is a member of the Ph.D. Program in Evaluation and Mitigation of Urban and Territorial Risks, where he mentors doctoral students and contributes to advanced research on climate adaptation, energy transition and sustainable urban environments.

His academic leadership extends to the editorial domain. He serves on the Editorial Board of international journals such as Sustainability, Buildings, Energies, etc.  where he contributes to shaping high-quality publications in environmental science, energy systems and sustainable development. He is also a member of IEA Task 59, Renovating Historic Buildings Towards Zero Energy, which reflects his expertise in combining heritage conservation with cutting-edge energy efficiency measures.He is also a member of IEA Annex 83, Positive Energy Districts, which underlines his expertise in developing sustainable urban strategies that integrate renewable energy, energy efficiency and resilient communities. At the University of Catania, he is actively involved in interdepartmental research centers, including CoEHAR (Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction), OdM (L’Ora del Mare), and CUrE (Community Engagement), fostering interdisciplinary collaboration across diverse domains.

He has coordinated and managed multiple Erasmus and international cooperation agreements, promoting mobility and joint research initiatives with institutions such as the University of Valladolid (Spain), CEU Cardenal Herrera (Spain), Chongqing University (China), SUPSI (Switzerland), etc.. These partnerships have provided students and researchers with valuable opportunities for cross-cultural and interdisciplinary learning, especially in the field of Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BiPV) and sustainable construction.

He has held numerous expert roles at the international level. He was an Expert Reviewer for the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land (SRCCL), a UNESCO Short-Term Expert in the Natural Sciences Roster and a reviewer for the H2020-MSCA-IF program. Moreover, he has been appointed as a member of several European Commission Expert Groups, contributing to the implementation and evaluation of policies related to Ambient Air Quality, the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) and the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED).

As a scholar, he has authored a substantial body of work indexed in the Scopus database, including journal articles, conference proceedings and book chapters. His research spans a wide spectrum of topics such as building physics, indoor and outdoor comfort, energy saving strategies, renewable energy systems, lighting design, acoustics, conservation of cultural heritage and urban microclimate phenomena such as the urban heat island. His contributions have advanced knowledge both in theoretical modeling and experimental validation, always with a focus on real-world applications and societal impact.