Marilena De Simone is an Environmental Engineer and earned the Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Calabria (February 2006). She currently works as an Associate Professor in Building Physics and Building Energy Systems at the Department of Environmental Engineering of the University of Calabria (Italy). She is coauthor of more than 100 scientific publications published in national and international journals, books, and conference proceedings on the following topics: building physics, comfort and indoor environmental quality, passive and active solar systems, green roofs, energy storage materials, occupants’ behavior and energy efficiency of buildings. She worked in national and international research projects on sustainability and innovative technical solutions in the construction sector. She was an external expert in "Evaluation of low-consumption solutions towards nearly zero-energy buildings in Panama", Project I+D funded by SENACYT, code FID18-056, and carried out scientific and management activities in the International project funded by the European Union: Europe - China Clean Energy Center (EC²). Reference: EUROPEAID/128591/L/ACT/CN. Contract number: DCI-ASIE/2010/222-185. She was the coordinator for the University of Calabria of the IEA EBC ANNEX 66 (2014-2017) and ANNEX 79 (2018-2023) - (IEA) International Energy Agency, EBC - Energy in Buildings and Communities Programme. She is a Member of National Associations: AICARR (Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Italian Association), ATI (Thermo-technical Italian Association), IBPSA (Italian regional affiliate of the International Building Performance Simulation Association), OIPE (Italian Observatory on Energy Poverty); and also the local coordinator of European Networks: INPATH-TES (H2020-LCE-2014-2) and CircularB (Cost Action). Since 2020, she has been responsible for the Observatory on Energy Poverty of the Calabria Region created within Green home s.c.ar.l, Innovation Hub for Sustainable Building. The Regional Observatory has the aim of supporting studies, dissemination, analyses and research activities conducted by the OIPE with reference to the Calabrian territory. Moreover, the Observatory has the target to inform and involve institutions, associations, citizens and businesses to activate concrete actions, from a technical point of view, support contrasting policies, and direct families towards more conscious behavior in energy uses.