Curriculum Vitae

PERSONAL DATA

Rafaela Mateus

ORCID

SCOPUS

CIENCIAVITAE

PROFESSIONAL SITUATION

Assistant Researcher

ACADEMIC AND SCIENTIFIC DEGREES

• Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon. Dissertation: “Natural Ventilation of Large Spaces: Numerical Simulation and Experimental Validation for Energy Efficiency” (2024)
• Postgraduate Diploma in Building Conservation and Rehabilitation, Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa (ISEL), 2021
• M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon. Dissertation: “Estudo Numérico da Interação entre Turbinas Eólicas Modeladas por Discos Atuantes” (2018)
• B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon (2016)

RELEVANT PUBLIC FUNCTIONS AND POSITIONS

• Assistant Researcher, Department of Buildings (DED), LNEC (2025 – present)
• Adjunct Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, ISEL (2025 – present)
• Research Fellow, DED, LNEC (2025)
• Ph.D. Student, Centre for Energy and Fluid Mechanics (CEMF), IST (2021–2024)
• Teacher of Heat Transfer, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IST (2021)
• FCT Ph.D. Fellow by LNEC (2021–2024)
• Research Fellow, DED, LNEC (2019–2021)
• Engineering Trainee, HVAC Division, Quadrante Engenharia (2018)
• Laboratory Assistant, Fluid Mechanics and Applied Thermodynamics Lab, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, NOVA School of Science and Technology (FCT NOVA) (2017–2018)

MAIN AREAS OF RESEARCH/INTEREST

• Natural ventilation of buildings
• Aerodynamics
• CFD modeling
• Building energy efficiency
• Thermal comfort in buildings
• Mechanical and functional performance of windows and façades

ACTIVITY DEVELOPED

• Participation in research projects, including: CircularBuild – CONCEXEC (2021–2023), LNEC-ZEB proposal for PRR-FA program (2022), Energy Efficiency of Public Buildings (2019–2020), and EPBD Transposition (2019–2020)
• Contract based studies at LNEC for external entities, focusing on pressurization tests, energy performance, and mechanical/functional performance of exterior window frames
• Technical approval studies in the domain of ventilated facades
• Research and development in natural ventilation of buildings and building energy efficiency
• Authorship or co-authorship of Technical Reports and Technical Notes
• Participation in conferences and presentation of communications
• Publication of scientific and technical articles in national and international journals