ILIAD 2025- New perspectives on light, lighting, and ILI

Richard Weller is Professor of Medical Dermatology at the University of Edinburgh, with a job equally divided between clinical practice and research. He studied medicine at St Thomas’ Hospital, University of London, then internal medicine in the north of England and Australia before undertaking dermatology training in London and Scotland. This was followed by 3 years full-time research in Scotland, Düsseldorf, and Pittsburgh. His academic research is focused on the effects of sunlight on systemic health. He has identified a novel mechanism by which sunlight reduces blood pressure via release of nitric oxide from stores in the skin and his more recent epidemiological work has quantified the relative benefits and risks of sunlight exposure for a north European population. This work calls into question current public health advice on healthy sunlight exposure.

Jens Christoffersen is a Lead Specialist at the VELUX Group and a member of the Daylight, Energy and Indoor Climate (DEIC) department. Within VELUX, Jens also contributes to several research projects with external partners, including key publications such as the Healthy Homes Barometer. He serves as acting Chairperson of the European standardization committee on Daylight, which developed EN 17037 Daylight in Buildings. Additionally, Jens leads the ISO Ad-Hoc Group on Daylight, exploring the potential for a new international standard for daylight in buildings.

Iris Dijkstra finished her Masters degree in Industrial Design Engineering at the Technical University of Delft, specialisation “Design for Sustainability”, and has since specialized in lighting design.

In 2004, she founded Atelier LEK (Light-Energy-Color), a widely-oriented, independent design company that focuses on the quality of spatial (night) experiences: in public spaces, exteriors, and interiors of buildings.

Her studio excels in reframing complex assignments to an understandable level and finding ingenious, multi-value lighting concepts for people and planet. In her 20 years of experience in lighting design, she developed a working process that enables an early participation in multidisciplinary projects in the role of a knowledge hub between the client, user, contractor, and market.

Yvonne de Kort is a Full Professor and Chair of Environmental Psychology of Human-Technology Interaction in the Department of Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e)

Emile Aarts is a Dutch scientist and administrator with a background in physics, mathematics, computer science, and innovation. After studying physics at Radboud University, he received his PhD from the University of Groningen in 1983. He then worked for almost thirty years at Philips Research, where he held various research and management positions, ultimately becoming Chief Scientific Officer. Simultaneously, he was a professor at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), initially in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science and later in Industrial Design. From 2015 to 2019, he was Rector Magnificus of Tilburg University.

Aarts was one of the initiators involved in establishing the Intelligent Lighting Institute (ILI) at TU/e (2008-2010). From 2010 until 2015, he was the first Scientific Director of the institute, which focused on research into smart lighting concepts and systems that tailor light to the user and the environment. Thanks to his positions at both Philips and TU/e, Aarts served as a bridge between academic research and industrial innovation. He contributed to ILI's vision and research program, stimulated collaboration between various TU/e ​​departments and companies, and played a key role in securing funding and establishing public-private partnerships. Under his leadership, the institute got off to a flying start, which later led to it becoming a major center for knowledge and innovation in intelligent lighting.

Scientific Director, Intelligent Lighting Institute at the Eindhoven University of Technology

Integrative lighting design: bridging the gap between science and practice

Mariëlle Aarts is an Assistant Professor in the Building Lighting group at Eindhoven University of Technology, where she combines education and research in the field of lighting. Her ambition is to elevate lighting design as a recognized profession by designing and teaching courses and developing advanced programs for lighting professionals. Her research focuses on understanding light from the user’s perspective and integrating these insights into building design to create healthy and sustainable environments. Beyond her academic work, Mariëlle is a member of the steering committee of the Daylight Academy, an international network fostering interdisciplinary collaboration on daylight-related topics.

Antal Haans is an associate professor of environmental psychology in the Human-Technology Interaction group at Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands. His research focuses on understanding the often complex interplay between people and the technological environments and socio-physical systems in which they function. A large part of his research has focused on pedestrian behaviour and experience, in particular with regard to street lighting and the sense of safety. He is currently involved in the European-funded Art of Darkness that explores human relations with darkness and the design with darkness in mind.

the F. Leloup works as a senior lecturer at the Laboratory for Lighting Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering (ESAT) at KU Leuven (Belgium). His research focuses on the field of Hard & Soft Lighting Metrology, investigating new measurement methods and metrics related to lighting (applications) in relation to visual perception.

He gained international recognition for this work, among other things, when he was awarded a Researcher Excellence Grant for research into the development of a new type of gloss meter, which was also launched on the market in 2024, and through European collaborative projects within the framework of EURAMET's “European Metrology Research Programme.” Frédéric is the former president of the Belgian Institute for Lighting Science, which celebrated its 100th anniversary last November, and Belgian national representative within CIE Division 1 (Vision and Color).

Photo Angeline Swinkels

Kynthia Chamilothori is an Assistant Professor in the Human-Technology Interaction (HTI) group at the Eindhoven University of Technology. Her research interests and expertise lie at the intersection of architecture, lighting, and environmental psychology, with a particular focus on how our surroundings can shape our emotions and behavior, such as inviting us to approach a space or inducing stress-protective effects. In recent years, she has been increasingly worried about the devastating effects of human activity on the planet, and is interested in the role of lighting research, architecture, and environmental psychology in supporting our connectedness to nature and climate action

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Conference Center Eindhoven, 168A Geldropseweg, Eindhoven, Netherlands

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