Jarek Kurnitski

Jarek Kurnitski is an Adjunct Professor at Aalto University and a Full Professor and Head of the Civil Engineering and Architecture Department at Tallinn University of Technology. He leads the Estonian Center of Excellence in Research ZEBE (Zero energy and resource efficient smart buildings and districts) and previously managed the Finnish Innovation Fund (SITRA)'s Energy Programme (2009–2012). His research focuses on energy-efficient buildings, indoor climate analysis, and sustainable construction.

Education:

• Doctoral degree in Engineering and Technology, Helsinki University of Technology (2000)
• Master's degree in Engineering and Technology, Helsinki University of Technology (1995)

Research Interests: Energy performance optimization, nearly zero-energy buildings (NZEB), HVAC systems, building simulation, microbial safety, and international regulatory frameworks for energy efficiency. He chairs REHVA's Technology and Research Committee and contributed to EU energy performance directives (EPBD) and WHO guidelines for indoor air quality.

Key Projects: Includes the FlexiB/Kurnitski project (2020–2024) on building flexibility in energy systems and the FINEST TW WP6 project (2019–2023) advancing energy efficiency in Nordic buildings.

Awards:

• Estonian State Research Award (2018)
• Best Paper Awards in Energy and Buildings (2013) and Building Services Finland (2008)
• REHVA and SCANVAC honors for contributions to HVAC and energy efficiency

Grants & Advising: Principal investigator for multiple grants, including the Integration of Building Flexibility (€X) and Energy Renovation Subsidies studies. Advises on doctoral theses and chairs academic committees.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB) research group at Aalto and Tallinn, collaborating on international standards and building simulation models.