Fixed-term assistant professor
Department of Environment, Land and Infrastructure Engineering (DIATI)
- Member of Interdepartmental Center FULL - Future Urban Legacy Lab
Profile
Research interests
Biography
Sofia Fellini is a researcher in environmental and hydraulic engineering, with consolidated experience in numerical and experimental modelling of environmental fluid dynamics and pollutant dispersion in urban environments. She is currently a tenure-track Assistant Professor (RTD-A) at Politecnico di Torino, where she teaches Fluid Mechanics and Hydraulics and coordinates the doctoral course Urban Climates. Her research integrates numerical models, complex network theory, and wind tunnel experiments to investigate airborne pollutant dispersion, the impact of urban vegetation, and fluid dynamics in complex environments. Throughout her career, she has developed expertise in various modelling approaches, including simplified methods and Large Eddy Simulations (LES). She obtained her PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering through a joint program between Politecnico di Torino and École Centrale de Lyon, followed by a postdoctoral position at the Laboratoire de Mécanique des Fluides et d’Acoustique (LMFA) in Lyon. In 2025, she was a Visiting Researcher at Imperial College London. She obtained the French Qualification aux fonctions de Maître de Conférences (CNU section 60 – Mechanics, Mechanical and Civil Engineering) in 2022, and the Italian National Scientific Qualification in 2025 for the academic field CEAR08 (Hydraulics).
Curriculum
Scientific branch
(Area 0008 - Civil engineering and architecture)
Research topics
- Development of parametric models based on the theory of complex networks for the dispersion of pollutants in urban geometries
- Lattice-Boltzmann Large-Eddy Simulations of pollutant dispersion in urban areas
- Modelling of water distribution networks
- Wind tunnel experiments of pollutant dispersion in urban areas with vegetation
Skills
ERC sectors
SDG
Fellowships
- Effective member - EUROMECH, Europeo (2024-)
- Effective member - ANIV-G, Italia (2020-)
- Effective member - Gruppo Italiano di Idraulica (GII), Italia (2016-)
Teaching
Collegi of the degree programmes
- Collegio di Ingegneria Civile ed Edile. Componente
- Collegio di Ingegneria Matematica. Componente invitato
Teachings
PhD
- Urban climates: basic concepts and strategies for climate change adaptation. A.A. 2025/26, INGEGNERIA CIVILE E AMBIENTALE. Main teacher
- Urban climates: basic concepts and strategies for climate change adaptation. A.A. 2024/25, INGEGNERIA CIVILE E AMBIENTALE. Main teacher
- Urban climates: basic concepts and strategies for climate change adaptation. A.A. 2023/24, INGEGNERIA CIVILE E AMBIENTALE. Main teacher
Master of Science
- Meccanica dei fluidi. A.A. 2025/26, INGEGNERIA MATEMATICA. Collaboratore del corso
- L'acqua nei sistemi edilizi e urbani. A.A. 2025/26, INGEGNERIA EDILE. Titolare del corso
- L'acqua nei sistemi edilizi e urbani. A.A. 2024/25, INGEGNERIA EDILE. Titolare del corso
- Meccanica dei fluidi. A.A. 2024/25, INGEGNERIA MATEMATICA. Collaboratore del corso
- Green water for sustainable building. A.A. 2020/21, INGEGNERIA EDILE. Collaboratore del corso
- Idraulica tecnica. A.A. 2019/20, INGEGNERIA EDILE. Collaboratore del corso
Bachelor of Science
- Fluid mechanics. A.A. 2023/24, INGEGNERIA MECCANICA (MECHANICAL ENGINEERING). Titolare del corso
Research
Research areas
Research projects
Projects funded by competitive calls
- SCoolAir: Empowering schools for air quality action, (2025-2026) - Responsabile Scientifico
UE-funded research - RaRiskD - Rapid landslide risk mitigation: design for sustainability criteria in mountain areas (RaRiskD), (2025-2027) - Responsabile Scientifico
Nationally funded research - PRIN - LIBRA - La Biblioteca dell’Aria: un progetto partecipato di consapevolezza ambientale, (2024-2026) - Responsabile Scientifico
Corporate-funded and donor-funded research
Supervised PhD students
- Anna Eberrini. Programme in Ingegneria Civile E Ambientale (40th cycle, 2024-in progress)
- Annika Vittoria Del Ponte. Programme in Ingegneria Civile E Ambientale (38th cycle, 2022-in progress)
Publications
Last years publications
Publications by type
Latest publications View all publications in Porto@Iris
- Salizzoni, Pietro; Fellini, Sofia; Gamel, Hervé; Marro, Massimo; Soulhac, Lionel (2025)
Atmospheric Dispersion Downstream a Two-Dimensional Obstacle: Experimental Evaluation of Turbulence Closure Models. In: BOUNDARY-LAYER METEOROLOGY, vol. 191. ISSN 0006-8314
Contributo su Rivista - Fellini, Sofia; Majumdar, Dipanjan; Salizzoni, Pietro; Van Reeuwijk, Maarten (2025)
Bridging Wind Tunnel Experiments and Large-Eddy Simulation for Pollutant Dispersion in Tree-Lined Canyons. In: 12th UFM meeting - Urban Fluid Mechanics in a Changing Climate, Birmingham
Contributo in Atti di Convegno (Proceeding) - Fellini, Sofia; Majumdar, Dipanjan; Salizzoni, Pietro; Van Reeuwijk, Maarten (2025)
Comparative analysis of wind tunnel experiments and uDALES simulations for pollutant dispersion in tree-lined street canyons. In: 12th International Conference on Urban Climate, Rotterdam
Contributo in Atti di Convegno (Proceeding) - DEL PONTE, ANNIKA VITTORIA; Fellini, Sofia; Marro, Massimo; Soulhac, Lionel; Ridolfi, ... (2025)
The Turbulent Flow within a Wind-Aligned Street Canyon with Trees: an Experimental Study. In: BOUNDARY-LAYER METEOROLOGY, vol. 191, pp. 1-28. ISSN 0006-8314
Contributo su Rivista - Fellini, Sofia; Li, Tianyang; van Reeuwijk, Maarten (2024)
Enhancing urban air pollution modelling through network science approaches. In: 20th International conference on Harmonisation within Atmospheric Dispersion Modelling for Regulatory Purposes
Contributo in Atti di Convegno (Proceeding) - Del Ponte, Annika Vittoria; Fellini, Sofia; Marro, Massimo; Soulhac, Lionel; Ridolfi, ... (2024)
STUDIO SPERIMENTALE DEL CAMPO DI MOTO TURBOLENTO IN UN CANYON URBANO CON VEGETAZIONE. In: XXXIX Convegno Nazionale di Idraulica e Costruzioni Idrauliche IDRA24, Parma, Italia, 15-18/09/2024
Contributo in Atti di Convegno (Proceeding) - Fellini, Sofia; DEL PONTE, ANNIKA VITTORIA; Marro, Massimo; Ridolfi, Luca; Salizzoni, ... (2024)
Ventilazione di un canyon urbano con riscaldamento delle pareti o con presenza di vegetazione. In: XXXIX Convegno Nazionale di Idraulica e Costruzioni Idrauliche - IDRA2024, Parma, 15-18 settembre 2024
Contributo in Atti di Convegno (Proceeding) - Fellini, S.; Del Ponte, A. V.; Marro, M.; Soulhac, L.; Ridolfi, L.; Salizzoni, P. (2024)
Flow and dispersion in a tree-lined perpendicular street canyon. In: PHYSMOD2024 International Workshop on Physical Modelling of Flow and Dispersion Phenomena
Contributo in Atti di Convegno (Proceeding) - Del Ponte, Annika Vittoria; Fellini, Sofia; Marro, Massimo; Soulhac, Lionel; Ridolfi, ... (2024)
Turbulent flow field within an urban canyon with vegetation for any wind directions. In: International Workshop on Physical Modelling of Flow and Dispersion Phenomena PHYSMOD2024, Lione, Francia, 28-30/08/2024
Contributo in Atti di Convegno (Proceeding) - Fellini, S; Salizzoni, P; Ridolfi, L (2024)
Effect of emission variability on concentration fluctuations in idealised deep urban street canyons. In: URBAN CLIMATE, vol. 55. ISSN 2212-0955
Contributo su Rivista - Carlo, Os; Fellini, S; Palusci, O; Marro, M; Salizzoni, P; Buccolieri, R (2024)
Influence of obstacles on urban canyon ventilation and air pollutant concentration: An experimental assessment. In: BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT, vol. 250. ISSN 0360-1323
Contributo su Rivista - D’Elia, Gerardo; Fellini, Sofia; Ferlito, Sergio; Gallione, Davide; Loffredo, Giuseppe; ... (2024)
Monitoraggio di PM e NO2 in centri urbani: metodologia di calibrazione di micro-sensori a basso costo e loro applicazioni. In: PM2024 XI Convegno Nazionale sul Particolato Atmosferico Torino, 28-31 maggio 2024, Torino, 28-31 maggio 2024
Contributo in Atti di Convegno (Proceeding) - Del Ponte, Annikavittoria; Fellini, Sofia; Marro, Massimo; Salizzoni, Pietro; Ridolfi, ... (2024)
Wind tunnel study on the influence of vegetation density and wind direction on urban canyon ventilation. In: EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 15-04-2024 al 19-04-2024
Contributo in Atti di Convegno (Proceeding) - DEL PONTE, ANNIKA VITTORIA; Fellini, Sofia; Marro, Massimo; van Reeuwijk, Maarten; ... (2024)
Influence of Street Trees on Turbulent Fluctuations and Transport Processes in an Urban Canyon: A Wind Tunnel Study. In: BOUNDARY-LAYER METEOROLOGY, vol. 190, pp. 1-26. ISSN 0006-8314
Contributo su Rivista - Zhao, Y.; Chew, L. W.; Fan, Y.; Gromke, C.; Hang, J.; Yu, Y.; Ricci, A.; Zhang, Y.; Xue, ... (2023)
Fluid tunnel research for challenges of urban climate. In: URBAN CLIMATE, vol. 51. ISSN 2212-0955
Contributo su Rivista - Soulhac, L; Fellini, S; Nguyen, Cv; Salizzoni, P (2023)
Evaluation of Photostationary and Non-Photostationary Operational Models for NOX Pollution in a Street Canyon. In: ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT, vol. 297. ISSN 1352-2310
Contributo su Rivista - Li, Tianyang; Fellini, Sofia; van Reeuwijk, Maarten (2023)
Urban air quality: What is the optimal place to reduce transport emissions?. In: ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT, vol. 292. ISSN 1352-2310
Contributo su Rivista - Fellini, Sofia; Marro, Massimo; DEL PONTE, ANNIKA VITTORIA; Barulli, Marilina; Soulhac, ... (2022)
High resolution wind-tunnel investigation about the effect of street trees on pollutant concentration and street canyon ventilation. In: BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT, vol. 226. ISSN 0360-1323
Contributo su Rivista - Barulli, Marilina; Fellini, Sofia; DEL PONTE, ANNIKA VITTORIA; Ridolfi, Luca; Shoulhac, ... (2022)
Influence of vegetation on urban canyon ventilation. Part I : experimental and numerical investigation of averged concentration and bulk exchange velocity. In: PHYSMOD 2022 - International Workshop on Physical Modeling of Flow and Dispersion Phenomena, Prague, 29-31 Agosto 2022
Contributo in Atti di Convegno (Proceeding) - DEL PONTE, ANNIKA VITTORIA; Fellini, Sofia; Barulli, Marilina; Ridolfi, Luca; Soulhac, ... (2022)
Influence of vegetation on urban canyon ventilation. Part II: velocity field and turbulent mass fluxes. In: PHYSMOD 2022 - International Workshop on Physical Modeling of Flow and Dispersion Phenomena, Prague, 29-31 Agosto 2022
Contributo in Atti di Convegno (Proceeding) - Fellini, Sofia; Del Ponte, Annika Vittoria; Barulli, Marilina; Ridolfi, Luca; Soulhac, ... (2022)
Turbulent transfer and concentration statistics in a street canyon with tree planting. In: EGU General Assembly Conference 2022, Vienna
Contributo in Atti di Convegno (Proceeding) - Fellini, Sofia; Lamaison, Guillevic; Lévêque, Emmanuel; Salizzoni, PIETRO STEFANO; ... (2022)
Lattice-Boltzmann Large-Eddy Simulations of the flow field and dispersion around a bidimensional obstacle. In: PHYSMOD 2022 - International Workshop on Physical Modeling of Flow and Dispersion Phenomena, Prague, 29-31 Agosto 2022, pp. 62-65. ISBN: 978-80-87012-81-9
Contributo in Atti di Convegno (Proceeding) - Fellini, Sofia; Salizzoni, PIETRO STEFANO; Ridolfi, Luca (2021)
Structural fragility of cities to airborne releases. In: European Colloquium on Theoretical and Quantitative Geography 2021
Contributo in Atti di Convegno (Proceeding) - Fellini, Sofia; Salizzoni, Pietro; Ridolfi, Luca (2021)
Vulnerability of cities to toxic airborne releases is written in their topology. In: SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, vol. 11. ISSN 2045-2322
Contributo su Rivista - Fellini, Sofia (2021)
Modeling pollutant dispersion at the city and street scales: from wind tunnel experiments to complex network theory. relatore: RIDOLFI, LUCA; Salizzoni Pietro, 33. XXXIII Ciclo, P.: 176
Doctoral Thesis - Fellini, Sofia; De Giovanni, Alessandro; Marro, Massimo; Ridolfi, Luca; Salizzoni, Pietro (2020)
Effect of trees on street canyon ventilation. In: EGU General Assembly 2020, pp. 10661-10661
Contributo in Atti di Convegno (Proceeding) - Fellini, Sofia; Ridolfi, Luca; Salizzoni, Pietro (2020)
Effect of wall heating on street canyon ventilation. In: EGU General Assembly 2020, pp. 9613-9613
Contributo in Atti di Convegno (Proceeding) - Fellini, Sofia; Ridolfi, Luca; Salizzoni, Pietro (2020)
Street canyon ventilation: Combined effect of cross‐section geometry and wall heating. In: QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY. ISSN 0035-9009
Contributo su Rivista - Fellini, Sofia; Salizzoni, Pietro; Ridolfi, Luca (2020)
Centrality metric for the vulnerability of urban networks to toxic releases. In: PHYSICAL REVIEW. E, vol. 101. ISSN 2470-0045
Contributo su Rivista - Fellini, Sofia; Marro, Massimo; Ridolfi, Luca; Salizzoni, Pietro (2020)
Vertical turbulent transport in an urban street canyon. In: AGU 2020
Contributo in Atti di Convegno (Proceeding)