Workplace Ecology Lab (WELab) focuses on translational research, which bridges the gap between research and the implementation and evaluation of practices to improve the built environment, especially the workplace, through evidence-based practice/design as well as practice-based research. WeLab’s research is centered around the effective facility and workplace management and their impacts on: occupants’ health and well-being; organization’s overall profitability and productivity; and environmental, economic, and social sustainability in buildings. WeLab’s research provides innovative strategies for healthy, sustainable, and human and function-centered workplaces in practice and research.
Team
Dr. Eunhwa Yang, Director of WELab
Eunhwa Yang is an associate professor at the School of Building Construction at Georgia Tech, researching the reciprocal relationship between the built environment and human outcomes across various settings, including workplaces, university campuses, and housing. Eunhwa employs Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, which proposes that human outcomes are constantly influenced by the nested structures of environments. Her contributions include workplace studies, facility operation and maintenance, sustainable building practices and operations, and cognitive aging-in-place. Eunhwa’s work assists individuals such as office workers, university students, and older adults, as well as facility managers/owners, corporate real estate directors, and designers, in identifying optimal spatial design, usage, and operation. She has published over 60 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and conference proceedings and teaches graduate-level courses on facility management, environmental issues, health outcomes, and research methodologies. Eunhwa holds an M.S. in Building Construction and Facility Management from Georgia Tech and a Ph.D. in Human Behavior and Design from Cornell University.
Current members
Ibrahim Bilau, Ph.D. Candidate (ibilau3@gatech.edu)
Ibrahim’s research interest is in the intersection of technology and the built environment, with specifics on how Human-Computer Interaction could further enhance liveability in the built environment.
Marwan Shagar (Ph.D.), Ph.D. Student (mshagar@gatech.edu)
Marwan has a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and is currently pursuing a second Ph.D. in Building Construction. Marwan’s research interest is in indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and its impact on occupants of different types of buildings ( office, residential, educational, etc.).
Abdurrahman Baru, Ph.D. Student (abaru8@gatech.edu)
Abdurrahman’s research interest is in merging sustainable design principles with affordable housing strategies through innovative building technologies and materials.
James K. Holder II, Ph.D. Student (jh547@gatech.edu)
James’s research interests center on expanding the habitability of spaces and communities. He endeavors to provide solutions for aging, disabled, and other marginalized people facing forced and planned evacuations due to climate-related emergencies.
Dr. Hyunbo Seo, Visiting Scholar
Dr. Seo is a visiting scholar at the WELab. He is a professor in the Department of Architecture at the University of Seoul, South Korea, where his current research focuses on urban space and its function supporting aging in place. He holds both a Master of Architecture (M.Arch) and a PhD in Architecture from Georgia Tech.
Previous students and their current work positions
Sungil Hong, (Ph.D.), Postdoctoral researcher at Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory
Yujin Kim, (Ph.D.), Postdoctoral researcher at Microsoft
Ipsitha Bayapu (MS), Assistant Project Manager at Northstar Project & Real Estate Services
Catherine Bisson (MS), Adaptive Reuse Project Manager at JLL
Minh Duong (MS), Technical Designer at Wakefield Beasley & Associates
Juan Guevara-Ramirez (MS), ICT/BIM Engineer at Okland Construction
Anushka Kankariya, (MS), Estimator at McCarthy Building Companies
Ning Wang (Visiting Scholar), Lecturer at the School of Public Administration at Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics
Brandi Williams (MS), Estimator at MetroPower
Duo Xu (MS), Design Engineer at M.C. Dean, Inc.
Professional Associations
IFMA https://www.ifma.org/
CoreNet Global https://www.corenetglobal.org/
RICS https://www.rics.org/north-america/