Nikolas Makasis

Nikolas Makasis is a Surrey Future Fellow in the School of Sustainability, Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Surrey. His work focuses on decarbonization through subsurface geothermal applications, including geothermal pavements, energy piles, and district heating systems. He holds a PhD from the University of Melbourne and MSc/MEng degrees from Imperial College London. Previous roles include Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Cambridge and Research Engineer at the University of Melbourne.

Research interests include shallow geothermal technologies, thermal modeling of subsurface systems, and AI-driven solutions for energy efficiency. Notable projects include the Melbourne Connect Building geothermal system and Cardiff city-scale geothermal assessment. He has developed computational tools for heat transfer analysis and finite element modeling.

Publications emphasize innovative applications of geothermal energy in infrastructure, such as thermo-active roads and energy retaining walls. His work combines numerical simulations with field data to optimize thermal performance and sustainability. Current projects explore urban subsurface thermal management and repurposing infrastructure for renewable energy provision.

Collaborations include the University of Melbourne (Honorary Fellow), Imperial College London, and industry partners in Australia and the UK. Research spans interdisciplinary topics like machine learning for energy systems, subsurface hydrology, and lifecycle cost analysis of geothermal solutions.