Completed thesis at LIPID

The Ph.D. thesis entitled Light-driven model for identifying indicators of non-visual health potential in the built environment, was successfully defended on August 17, 2016 in front of a jury composed of Prof. Marilyne Andersen (LIPID, thesis director), Prof. Steven W. Lockley (Harvard Medical School, thesis co-director), Prof. Dimitri Van De Ville (MIP lab, internal examiner), Prof. Myriam B.C. Aries (Jönköping University, external examiner), Prof. Christian Cajochen (University of Basel, external examiner), and Prof. Michel Bierlaire (TRANSP-OR, jury president). Accepted without reservation, the thesis was then presented to the public on September 29, 2016.

This thesis addresses an original concept, namely it introduces a new approach to characterize and evaluate ocular light exposure based on the discovery of novel blue light-sensitive photoreceptors in the human eye (ipRGCs). A dynamic wavelength-dependent model framework was proposed to evaluate the non-visual health potential of light that incorporates the photobiological properties underlying light responses in humans. The final objective of this thesis was to support the design of healthier buildings by integrating this model into a simulation workflow, which allows assessment of the potential health benefits of lighting in architectural spaces. This novel computational approach can be seen as a first step towards human-centric lighting application, simulating an occupant's light consumption to evaluate non-visual health potential that can support decision-making in the built environment. No such tool currently exists and therefore provides a unique bridge from the basic neurobiology of non-visual photoreception to real-world application of these principles.