Research
Licina's research connects fundamental indoor air science with building operation and performance. His work examines how indoor pollutants are generated, transformed, transported and inhaled; how ventilation, sensing and control strategies influence exposure and indoor environmental quality; and how building performance can be evaluated in relation to health, energy use and carbon impacts. His research combines laboratory and environmental-chamber experiments, field measurements, environmental sensing, modeling, data analysis and simulation.
Indoor pollutants and exposure
A major area of Licina's research concerns the sources, physical and chemical transformations, transport and inhalation of pollutants in indoor environments. His earlier studies investigated the human “personal cloud,” the release of particles from the vicinity of occupants, and clothing-mediated exposure to particles and chemicals. Subsequent research has expanded this work toward human-associated emissions, indoor chemistry and ultrafine-particle formation.
In a 2024 chamber study, Licina and collaborators examined volatile organic compounds emitted by fragranced personal-care products and their reactions with indoor ozone. More than 200 volatile organic compounds were detected from the products tested, while ozone-initiated chemistry resulted in the formation of oxidized vapors and ultrafine particles.
His research has also examined biological and human-associated sources of indoor pollutants. A 2026 study led by HOBEL characterized chemical, particulate and microbial emissions associated with dogs indoors and examined their interaction with ozone, including the formation of nanocluster aerosols and oxidized volatile organic compounds.
Ventilation, sensing and environmental control
A second strand of Licina's research concerns building ventilation, air filtration, environmental sensing and control strategies. This work investigates how buildings can use ventilation and air-cleaning systems to reduce pollutant exposure while limiting associated energy demand.
Research from his group has examined the health and energy implications of residential ventilation systems under different European climatic and outdoor-air-quality conditions. A 2024 study comparing ventilation strategies found that outdoor-air filtration could reduce health-related particulate exposure while appropriately designed ventilative cooling could lower energy demand without compromising the modeled health outcomes.
His group has also conducted field studies of ventilation and indoor air quality in schools. A 2025 study of 24 Swiss primary schools reported generally low pollutant concentrations and found that mechanically ventilated classrooms had approximately 20–30% lower carbon dioxide and total volatile organic compound levels than naturally ventilated classrooms.
Indoor environmental quality and building performance
Licina's more recent work extends from individual pollutants and ventilation systems to building-scale assessment of indoor environmental quality (IEQ). This research includes continuous environmental sensing, performance-based assessment, benchmarking, building renovation and methods for jointly evaluating indoor conditions and building performance.
In 2026, HOBEL researchers developed ATLAS (Air quality, Thermal comfort, Lighting, and Acoustics Scale), a performance-based framework for continuous and integrated IEQ assessment. The index combines measurements across multiple IEQ domains and incorporates occupant priorities through adaptive weighting; it was demonstrated using 18+ months of measurements from occupied residential buildings.
Recognition
In 2022, Licina received the Yaglou Award granted by the International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate (ISIAQ) at the Indoor Air 2022 conference. The award recognized his research on sustainable and healthy buildings, particularly work concerning pollutant dynamics, occupant exposure, ventilation and environmental controls.
Licina received the Ralph G. Nevins Physiology and Human Environment Award in 2018 from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).
In 2026, Licina was elected a Fellow of the ISIAQ Academy, an honor recognizing contributions to research, practice or service in the indoor air sciences.
Licina was elected Treasurer-Elect of ISIAQ in 2024 and subsequently became Treasurer and a member of its Board of Directors.
He serves on the Editorial Board of Indoor Environments, the journal of ISIAQ.
