AI, biostatistics and bioinformatics

The bridge between data, building biology, and indoor health

Within the TTZ Building Biology, Airway and Indoor Health, our research focuses on the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI), biostatistical and bioinformatic methods as the core of data analysis. We support the extraction of meaningful insights from environmental data through rigorous statistical modeling, bioinformatic analyses, and the innovative application of machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Our Mission:

• We provide robust statistical and computational support for all research activities within the center, including basic research, applied research, and transfer.
• We develop AI-powered models to decipher the complex relationships between building materials, indoor environments, and human health.
• We facilitate the transfer of research findings into practical applications to inform building standards, material development, building regulation, and public health initiatives.

Our research focus

Effects of building materials and indoor air quality on human health: We develop statistical models to quantify the relationships between specific building factors and health effects such as respiratory diseases, allergies, and mental and cognitive functions.

• Personalized building ecology: We use machine learning to identify individual susceptibility to building-related exposures, thereby informing tailored interventions and building designs, as well as personalized control of heating, cooling, and ventilation systems.
• Development of new diagnostic tools: We apply bioinformatics and AI to identify biomarkers for building-related illnesses, leading to the development of rapid and accurate diagnostic tests.
• Optimization of material selection, building design, and control systems: 
  • We use causal analytical and predictive modeling to assess the impact of different building design and material variants on indoor environmental quality (IEQ, IAQ) and human health, and to derive optimization recommendations. 
• We develop customizable control approaches for heating, cooling, and ventilation systems that are designed to improve human health.

Our expertise

• Biostatistics: We specialize in the design and analysis of epidemiological studies, clinical trials, and environmental exposure assessments. Our expertise includes:
  • Regressionsmodellierung (linear, logistisch, Überlebensanalyse)
  • Paneldatenanalyse
  • Spatial statistics

• Machine learning and artificial intelligence: we develop building biology analysis and prediction tools based on artificial intelligence:
  • Deep learning models for analyzing complex time series data, for example from air quality sensors.
  • Predictive models for the health effects of various indoor exposures.

• Algorithms for identifying new biomarkers for building-related illnesses.
• Machine learning-based image analysis for material characterization and mold detection.

• Data integration and visualization: We integrate diverse data sets from various sources and create comprehensive and interpretable visualizations as a basis for knowledge-oriented research.
• Bioinformatics: we use computer-based tools to analyze biological, high-throughput data, including:
  • Genomics (DNA-Sequencing, variant analysis)
  • Transkriptomics (RNA-Sequencing, gene expressions analysis)
  • Metabolomics and Mikrobiome analysis

Our commitment to technology transfer:

• We actively collaborate with architects, engineers, materials scientists, and healthcare experts within the TTZ to translate our research findings into practical solutions.
• We publish our research in international journals and present it at scientific conferences and workshops for industry professionals.

By combining rigorous statistical analysis, data integration, bioinformatics, and the transformative power of AI, our research focus on AI, biostatistics, and bioinformatics drives innovation in building biology and improves indoor health.