Huizhong decided to enter the HWSB programme at UCL after developing an interest in healthy design during her undergraduate degree studying Architectural Environment Engineering at University of Nottingham. Since graduating she has been working in Beijing as a researcher on healthy buildings at Delos, a company that offers technology, consulting, research, design and innovative solutions for the built environment. As a researcher, Huizhong focusses on studying the correlations between built environments and people’s health and wellbeing.
She says that her MSc helped when applying for a job:
When I first approached Delos, they were pretty interested in my education background. During the interview process, they showed great interest in my dissertation project which involved a small lab design on biophilia and my knowledge of inclusive design. As a result, they offered me the job as an analyst at research team referred to as the Delos Labs.
Huizhong’s research experience in biophilic design also enabled her to contribute to a study exploring the impact of indoor biophilic design on occupant wellbeing in real office environments which was published in the International Conference on Green and Energy-Efficient Building in 2019.
For future HWSB graduates applying for jobs, Huizhong advises keeping an open mind, as initially she mainly focussed on looking for work in design studios and consulting firms:
I would suggest that fellow students at UCL pay attention to the firms practising in your interest area while still studying, get involved in as many activities as possible to get in touch with the professionals in this field. When doing job hunting, don’t just focus on one destination. Look around and see who is connected to the areas of healthy building design, in the broader market.
Overall, Huizhong believes that her MSc was a valuable experience:
No matter which way you are looking, I do believe the study experience in MSc HWSB is a solid asset, it adds credit to our competitiveness in landing job opportunities.
We’d like to thank Huizhong for sharing her experience of studying Health Wellbeing and Sustainable Buildings MSc at The Bartlett UCL and wish her all the best in her career.
PhD studentship opportunity: Calculation of the Monetary ESGAP (M-ESGAP) indicator
PhD studentship opportunity available at the UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources, exploring the ‘Calculation of the Monetary ESGAP (M-ESGAP) Indicator’.
15 Apr 2025
New Research Finds ‘Substantial’ Global Disparities in Covid-19 Vaccine Accessibility
The research, published in the British Medical Journal, showed major disparities between access to vaccines across 54 surveyed countries, with vaccine deserts in both high- and low-income regions.
15 Apr 2025
TERRITORIES OF CO-COGNITION Symposium
TERRITORIES OF CO-COGNITION is a half-day symposium curated by Bartlett academics, critically examining the intersections of artificial intelligence, ethics and the built environment.
14 Apr 2025