Lien de Backer

Background

About Lien de Backer

Since 2014, my research focus is on healthy and energy efficient water systems, containing Legionella safe drinking water systems, water management and water reuse. In 2009, I graduated cum laude as an civil engineer (Hogeschool Gent) with a master dissertation about “Restoration of the church-of-our-Lady in Bruges. Stability of the tower using an FEM-analysis.” (Buildsoft package + ANSYS). Because I really liked the research part, I started since august 2010 as a PhD-researcher in the research group of Building Physics at The Faculty of Engineering and Architecture of Ghent University. From 2010-2013, I was involved in the research project “Strategies for moisture modelling of historical buildings in order to control damage risks.” This work was a part of a FWO-project dedicated to the development of a simulation strategy to analyse the interrelation between outdoor and indoor climate, building envelope and HVAC-design in historical buildings and to evaluate possible damage risks to the cultural heritage. Supervisor of this research project were Prof. Arnold Janssens (Ghent university, Dept. of Architecture & Urban Planning) and Prof. Michel De Paepe (Ghent university, Dept. of Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics). During these years, I became really interested in whole building simulations and more-over in the physics, mathematical background and the programming part behind these software (TRNSYS, Modelica, Energyplus, Matlab,…). Using these software, to improve the working of tehcnical installations in practical cases is the final goal. Behind the research, I also like to guide students and to try to arouse their interest in the scientific part of engineering.