People

Dr. Sneha Jain is an Assistant Professor of Building Science at SAPL, University of Calgary, and head of the DWELL lab. She specializes in building technology, sustainability, and human wellbeing, working towards creating living environments that are not only energy-efficient but also comfortable, health-focused, and adaptable. Her research focuses on human comfort and wellbeing, indoor environment quality, windows, and building automation and control.

She was previously a Postdoctoral Scholar at Stanford University (Civil and Environmental Engineering, advised by Prof. Sarah Billington) and completed her Ph.D. at EPFL, Switzerland, on the influence of transmitted color and the eye’s macular pigment on discomfort glare, advised by Prof. Marilyne Andersen and Dr. Jan Wienold.

Research interests: indoor environmental quality and human health connections; building envelope design for daylighting and occupant comfort; smart building technology and automation; inclusive design for vulnerable populations (affordable housing, aging in place); behavioral design strategies for sustainable environments.

Education

• Postdoctoral Scholar, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, 2023-2025 (Advisor: Prof. Sarah Billington)
• Ph.D. Civil and Environmental Engineering, EPFL, Switzerland, 2019-2023 (Advisors: Prof. Marilyne Andersen, Dr. Jan Wienold) — Dissertation: Influence of transmitted color and the eye’s macular pigment on discomfort glare
• M.S. Information Technology in Building Science, IIIT India / LBNL USA (6-month fellowship), 2016-2018 (Advisors: Prof. Vishal Garg, Dr. Luis Fernandes, Christian Kohler) — Dissertation: Daylighting estimation for control using high dynamic range imaging
• B.Arch. Architecture, National Institute of Technology, Bhopal, India, 2010-2015

Summer Research Student, BDCI, University of Calgary.

I am 3rd year Bachelor of Design in City Innovation (BDCI) student pursuing a concentration in Landscape Architecture and a Certificate in Sustainability. I grew up in Kingston, Jamaica and enjoy reading, watching movies, and dancing. This summer, I have been awarded the USSR Alberta Innovates Summer Research Award to study the impact of light on older adults in senior care facilities.

Undergraduate Research Student, Civil Engineering, University of Calgary (2025-Present).

I am an undergraduate student in Civil Engineering at the University of Calgary. I love travelling, being outdoors as well as art & architecture. My work at DWELL lab evaluates human eye-tracking data like pupil size and blink rate to understand how different lighting conditions and glare scenarios impact poeple’s visual comfort in indoor environments.

Graduate Student, MSc Computational Media Design, University of Calgary BSc in Computer Science, University of Ottawa, 2025

I am a graduate student in Computational Media Design, working in the Interactions Lab’s Shivers Group and the SAPL’s DWELL group, under the mentorship of Christian Frisson and Sneha Jain. My research lies at the intersection of Human-Computer Interaction (Haptics) and architecture. I am interested in research topics related to Information Visualization, Architecture for well-being, Immersive arts, MR/VR/AR and Health. I have a passion for art and creativity, having long been interested in architecture and illustration. In my free time, I like to watch movies, read, draw, and wander around the city listening to music.