Closing our #WomenInUrbanAIR campaign, we celebrate the #IWD2026 with Jana de Wiljes (Technical University of Ilmenau). She is developing mathematical methodologies that quantify what we don't know, she helps city planners understand the reliability of their models. In this interview, Jana shares her motivation for tackling the urgent repercussions of climate change & explains why she believes robust scientific solutions are born from the creative friction of interdisciplinar

We keep the spotlight on the women researchers in UrbanAIR, with this interview with Cristina Carnerero, an atmospheric scientist at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, contributing to the UrbanAIR Digital Twin. We talked about her motivation to work in air quality research, her role in supporting cities like Barcelona through data-driven tools, and why diverse perspectives are essential for equitable urban resilience.  

Our #WomenInUrbanAIR campaign, which began in February to celebrategender equity in science, continues with a spotlight on a woman working in a sector facing a significant gender gap: ICT research. In Europe, women represent only 22% of ICT researchers, with even fewer leading major technical projects.  Breaking this mould is Amineh Ghorbani, Associate Professor at TU Delft and the lead for Behavioural Modelling in the UrbanAIR project.

Aulia Imania Sukma is a behavioural modelling researcher in the UrbanAIR project and part of the 28% of women among researchers pursuing a PhD in the technology field in the Netherlands. The title of her ongoing PhD research is "Community-Based Adaptation for Climate Justice: Addressing Urban Heat Stress through Greening in Antwerp.” We spoke with her about her motivation to work at the intersection of social and technical sciences, her role in understanding household heat

Beth O'Dwyer  is a PhD researcher at the Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH) and one of the younger #WomenInUrbanAIR project. Today, she talks about how she applies her expertise in AI and Remote Sensing  to support real-world cities' resilience, why inclusivity is key to high-tech projects like UrbanAIR and what young women interested in a science career should keep in mind. What inspired you to pursue a career i n atmospheric science? What inspired you to join the U

As cities face an era of intensifying heatwaves and air quality challenges, collaboration between pioneering digital twin projects is more vital than ever. We are excited to announce that UrbanAIR  will be participating in the upcoming workshop, "Urban Impact Models for Climate Adaptation,"  organised by our sister project, TerraDT . Strengthening the Urban Digital Twin Ecosystem The workshop serves as a key meeting point for experts dedicated to refining how we model the imp

Nele Veldeman is a researcher and climate scientist at the Flemish Institute for Technological Research ( VITO ) with a coordinating role in climate adaptation-related projects. She is also a key contributor to the UrbanAIR project as an urban climate modeller, and today she shares more about her journey in climate science, her work making cities more resilient, and her advice for young women considering a career in STEM.   What inspired you to pursue a career in climate s

Women lead only 31% of Horizon Europe consortia. Femke Vossepoel, Professor at TUDelft, is part of this leading group as the Scientific Coordinator of UrbanAIR. For Femke, leading a high-tech project is about the people algorithms serve. In this interview, we explore her journey through computational geosciences and data assimilation, her role in building urban digital twins for climate resilience, & why she believes inclusivity & co-design are the true 'human' engines of sci

Finding one's professional path in the scientific field still presents more hurdles for women than for men. Georgia Nikolakopoulou, opens the #WomenInUrbanAIR project campaign, by sharing official statistics about women's representation is science, and her own experience as a Dissemination leader in EU resesrch projects. And she celebrates being part of a project that breaks this mould!

Heat events are becoming hotter, longer, and more frequent. Cities need to prepare for extreme heat. But what does extreme heat mean to the people? Take the Heat Scenario Survey 

Discussing perspectives, collaboration and challenges. We are pleased to announce that Nele Veldeman , Senior Researcher at VITO and a key contributor to the UrbanAIR project , will represent our consortium at the upcoming TerraDT webinar: "TerraDT One Year On: Main Achievements in Climate Digital Twins." The TerraDT first annual webinar will offer an accessible overview of how TerraDT is contributing to advanced Earth system modelling via digital twin components and impact

What counts as "extreme" heat? Is it a policy threshold, or the moment a resident can no longer breathe safely? At UrbanAIR WP5, we’re bridging the gap between hazard simulation and lived experience. From mapping resident perceptions in Barcelona and Antwerp to using Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) in stakeholder workshops, explore how we are building digital twins that reflect human reality, not just sensor data.