Hanin Othman

Hanin Othman is an architect, researcher, and educator whose work integrates architecture, environmental sensing, robotics, artificial intelligence, and sustainable building technologies to advance healthier and more resilient built environments. She is an Assistant Professor in the School of Architecture at the University of Arizona. She earned her Ph.D. in Architecture from The Pennsylvania State University, where she developed innovative approaches for monitoring and modeling indoor environmental quality using low-cost sensing technologies, autonomous robotics, and digital systems.

Her research focuses on developing intelligent cyber-physical systems that combine Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, autonomous mobile robotics, digital twins, and machine learning to improve environmental performance, human health, and building sustainability. Her work has pioneered hybrid fixed-mobile sensing frameworks that integrate stationary sensor networks with robotic platforms to generate high-resolution spatial maps of indoor environmental conditions. By combining calibrated low-cost sensors, real-time data visualization, and predictive analytics, she develops scalable approaches for creating dynamic digital representations of buildings that support data-driven design, operation, and decision-making.

Beyond indoor environmental quality, Dr. Othman's research spans building performance simulation, urban microclimate analysis, computational design, digital fabrication, and robotic construction. Through interdisciplinary collaborations, she explores how emerging technologies can support decarbonization, climate adaptation, and equitable access to healthy indoor environments.

Her research has been published in leading journals including Energy and Buildings, Building and Environment, Technology | Architecture + Design, and Urban Climate, and has been presented at major international conferences in architecture, building science, and computational design. Her work has been supported by the Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS), the Cocoziello Institute of Real Estate Innovation, The J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School, the Learning Factory at Penn State University, and multiple competitive research fellowships and awards.

As an educator, Dr. Othman integrates research, design, and emerging technologies into architectural education through interdisciplinary, project-based learning. Her long-term research vision is to develop autonomous environmental intelligence systems that leverage sensing, artificial intelligence, and digital twins to transform the design, monitoring, and operation of buildings and cities in response to climate change and human health challenges.

Her long-term research vision is to develop intelligent cyber-physical systems that seamlessly integrate sensing, artificial intelligence, robotics, and digital twins to transform how buildings and cities are designed, monitored, and operated in response to climate change, environmental uncertainty, and human health challenges.