You are kindly invited to a seminar organized by the Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design.
Speaker: Dr. Merve Öner
Title: “Human-light Interaction in the Built Environment”
Date: June 17, 2025, Tuesday
Time: 15.00-16.00
Place: FF Building, FB22
Abstract:
Dr. Öner will be presenting a talk on human-light interaction, specifically within built environments. The seminar will begin with an introduction to the fundamentals of light, followed by an explanation of how the human eye receives light and how it is processed through both image-forming and nonimage-forming pathways. A range of physiological, behavioral, and cognitive processes modulated by these pathways will be discussed. These concepts will be illustrated through research she has conducted throughout her academic journey—starting with her earliest work on optimizing daylight availability in academic library reading rooms to enhance university students’ visual performance, continuing with her experimental study on how lighting quality affects performance, physiology, and comfort in office workers, and finally ending up with her most recent research on the effects of evening indoor light on sleep and behavior in children with autism. The talk will conclude by highlighting the key takeaways and emphasizing the importance of targeted interventions and evidence-based lighting strategies in supporting comfort, performance, and well-being in diverse populations.
Short bio
Merve Öner received her Ph.D. in Energy Systems and Building Engineering from Università di Pisa (IT) in 2021, and a Master’s degree in Architecture from Izmir Institute of Technology (TR) in 2017. She complemented her academic training by working as a research fellow at Università di Pisa (IT) for a year in 2022, before moving to the United States to pursue postdoctoral research at Penn State University. She is currently conducting experimental research on the physiological and behavioral effects of evening indoor light exposure on children with autism spectrum disorder. For nearly a decade, she has been engaged in research activities on daylighting and lighting, mixing observational and technical methods. She blends her background in architecture with principles and methods from environmental and clinical psychology. Her work explores how lighting characteristics influence both visual and non-visual pathways, with the aim of enhancing physiological functioning, psychological well-being, and productivity. She has contributed to peer-reviewed journals and presented her research in international seminars and workshops, fostering interdisciplinary discussions on lighting design choices in built environments.