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Mansoureh Jalali

PhD Student
  • Graduate Assistant

Circadian Rhythm, Electric Light, Natural Light, Correlated Color Temperature, Melanopic Lux

Mansoureh earned her bachelor’s degree in architecture from Shahid Beheshti University (SBU) in Tehran, Iran, from 2011 to 2016. After finishing her undergraduate, she moved to the United States to continue her education in Architecture. She received a Master of Science degree from Virginia Tech from 2018 to 2020. She started her Ph.D. in architecture at Virginia Tech College of Architecture and Urban Studies (CAUS) in 2020. She has worked as a Teaching Assistant (TA) in courses such as Environmental Building Systems (EBS), Architectural Research Methods, and 3rd and 4th year Design Labs and as a Research Assistant (RA) at Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI). She has served as the Vice President of Events in the Virginia Tech Iota Delta Rho Society, the interdisciplinary research honor society (2021-2022). She received CAUS Student Initiated Research Grant (SIRG) and ARCC King Medal for her research in 2022.

Development of an Architectural Design Framework That Supports Occupants’ Healthy Circadian Rhythm in Interior Spaces.

About 300 years ago, a French astronomer, Jean Jacques was the first person to observe circadian rhythm scientifically. Many pieces of research have been done since then and their results prove that there is a physiological process that manages every human activity, such as nutrition, sleep and wake, hormone secretion, blood pressure, and body temperature. More importantly, any small change in this clock can affect human immune system.

The light coming from the sun diffuses in the sky and has all the necessary wavelengths to support the normal stimulation of humans, animals, and plants' circadian rhythm. Having enough access to daylight will support people's health and well-being. Modern human, however, has developed a lifestyle that limits their access to required levels of natural light. 

This research is going to develop a new architectural design framework to evaluate and support the lighting design process to ensure they will help in maintaining a healthy human circadian rhythm. This process develops a model consisting of key decisions made in each stage of the design process to successfully integrate dynamic lighting techniques into the building design. The process explains the role of each member, the essential resources, and the flow of the decision-making process. 

Image. Human eye and brain response to light (source: Solemma Alfa)

View publications on Mansoureh's Researchgate profile.