2026 ASHRAE HVAC&R Student Paper Competition
The 2026 ASHRAE HVAC&R Student Paper Competition concluded on January 22, 2026 with presentations from four finalists. The competition is aimed at students working on their Bachelor or Master’s degree who are members of ASHRAE. The paper submitted must be based on an accepted BS or MS thesis.
In addition to the paper, the students prepared a poster and a 10-minute presentation, which was followed by questions from the jury.
The jury selected Felix Ekuful as the winner of the 2026 competition. Felix has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and is currently pursuing a master’s in Construction and Facilities Engineering at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. His research focus is on developing advanced control strategies to improve energy efficiency in buildings.
The title of his paper is “A Comparative Study of Occupancy-Based Dynamic Ventilation Reset Strategies for Variable-Air-Volume Systems.”
As the winner, Felix will also go on to represent ASHRAE at the 2026 HVAC World Student Competition.
View Felix's Poster
The other finalists were:
Shreya Mehta, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio – “Study of Energy Storage and Supply Strategies for Advancing Resilience and Long-Term Comfort in Low-Income Communities During Texas Cold Snaps” View Shreya's Poster
Muhammad Saad Ul Haq, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing – “Deep Learning Framework for Estimating Energy Consumption by ALSTM Network: A Case Study of Hotel Buildings” View Muhammad's Poster
Rim El Hichou El Maya, University of Málaga, Málaga – “Towards Net-Zero Modular Housing: Energy Simulation and Photovoltaic Self-Sufficiency in Shipping Container Architecture” View Rim's Poster
The jurors were:
- Brian Fronk (Penn State University)
- Craig Bradshaw (University of Illinois)
- Li Song (University of Oklahoma)
- Vikrant Aute (University of Maryland)