معرفی
Kiran Maini Gerhardsson is an Associate Researcher at Lund University's Faculty of Engineering, Department of Health Sciences, specializing in environmental psychology and gerontology. They hold dual expertise as a practicing architect and illustrator, with research focused on light-health relationships for older adults in ordinary housing environments. Their work bridges architectural design, sustainable urban planning, and health sciences through interdisciplinary collaborations.
Research interests center on human-environment interactions, particularly examining how light-dark cycles influence wellbeing and sleep-wake patterns among elderly populations. Their work investigates residents' lighting usage preferences from both natural and artificial sources, evaluating personalized home lighting systems for comfort and usability. This research contributes significantly to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to sustainable cities, good health, and reduced inequalities.
Recent publications demonstrate consistent focus on usability testing of web-based interventions targeting light exposure, activity patterns, and sleep quality for older adults. The research employs mixed-methods approaches combining environmental psychology with human-computer interaction principles, emphasizing practical applications in home environments. Studies frequently involve questionnaire-based assessments and user experience evaluations of digital health platforms.
Active in multiple research networks including the Centre for Healthy Indoor Environments (CHIE) and CASE - Centre for Ageing and Supportive Environments, Gerhardsson leads projects such as the behavioral intervention pilot study to improve quality of life for older adults (2024-2026), funded by Familjen Kamprads Stiftelse. Their academic foundation includes a doctorate in environmental psychology completed in May 2020, examining wellbeing relationships with light-dark cycles and sleep patterns.
Professional activities include numerous invited talks on daylight perceptions in Swedish homes, light-room-health relationships for elderly support, and behavioral interventions for quality of life improvement. Their work appears in publications spanning public health, population studies, and educational conference proceedings, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of their research bridging architecture, psychology, and gerontology.
