Lynée Turek-Hankins

Lynée Turek-Hankins is a doctoral student at the Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy at the University of Miami and a recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. She studies how infrastructure and policy can promote resilience and equity under a changing climate. Her research interests include: (1) adapting the built environment and housing to the triple threat of extreme heat, urbanization, and population growth/migration, (2) preparing for and understanding cascading risks and sociotechnical systems, and (3) exploring policies that promote energy and climate justice. Turek-Hankins uses diverse methods in her work, including but not limited to econometrics, building energy modeling, and co-production with partner organizations.

Turek-Hankins received her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University, focusing her courses on the thermal sciences and her capstone on the development of an automated thermal battery. Her previous work experiences are diverse and multidisciplinary. She used mixed methods such as citizen science, interviews, etc. with a community-based NGO, Relevando Peligros, to study electrical safety policy in Córdoba, Argentina. As a research assistant with Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Energy and Transportation Division, Turek-Hankins coauthored a study that developed a novel method to accurately and easily quantify transient heat transfer for an entire building.