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The COVID-19 pandemic led to unforeseen consequences that impacted every facet of society, including the economy, travel and the environment. Research and development is no exception. At the Centre for Urban Energy (CUE), our researchers had to transition overnight from working in our state-of-the-art labs and offices to their bedrooms or living rooms. Their clean energy research continues alongside the unique challenges that working from home creates. I spoke to several CUE researchers to help understand how they cope with the stresses and strains of life during lockdown. 

For Thiago Ramos Fernandes, a visiting PhD student from the University of Campinas in Brazil, building a routine while working from home was, and still is, crucial for success. 

鈥淲hen the situation changed in mid-March, at first I thought it would be fast,鈥� says Fernandes. 鈥淎fter two months, I started to realize that it would be more than I expected. It took me three months or so to go back to my routine like waking up early, and try to do the same here in my room. When you don鈥檛 have a routine, you don鈥檛 have discipline [and] you don鈥檛 have consistency in your work.鈥�

Fernandes says he felt supported by his academic supervisor Bala Venkatesh during this time, especially when receiving a desk and chair to help him set up his own workspace at home.

鈥淎t first, we just received an email from Ryerson saying if you can, work from home,鈥� explains Fernandes. 鈥淏ut I couldn鈥檛 because I didn鈥檛 have those things. And I asked him if it鈥檚 possible to work in the lab because I didn鈥檛 even have a chair in my room. He said no, stay at home, buy those things, and we鈥檒l reimburse you.鈥�

Third-year electrical engineering undergraduate student Mariam Mendha is taking summer classes online and assisting Venkatesh as a research intern. Mendha says juggling the two things at once has been a lot easier in some respects, but harder in others.

鈥淗onestly, the lab portion is a big part of engineering,鈥� admits Mendha, who normally commutes to campus from Scarborough. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 have that lab portion in person, and that makes it really hard to understand the content.鈥�

鈥淏ut it鈥檚 really easy to manage the time. Right now I can work on Saturdays and Sundays as a research intern, which I couldn鈥檛 have done if I was actually doing it in person.鈥�

Engy Hassan is a PhD student working under Venkatesh鈥檚 guidance researching renewable energy in the transactive energy market. With two children at home, both she and her husband take turns overseeing them while working. 

鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to split the responsibilities towards our kids - we are trying to manage, both of us,鈥� explains Hassan. 鈥淚鈥檓 trying to make them engaged all the time - they have virtual camps, [and] with their teacher, they are learning something new. That reduces my stress load a little.鈥�

Moving forward beyond the pandemic, a combination of both working from home and commuting to campus is something that researchers could benefit from, suggests PhD student Shima Bagher Zade Homayie. 

鈥淏ecause I don鈥檛 need to commute everyday to go to university and get back home, it is better,鈥� says Homayie, who lives in Vaughan. 鈥淲hen I had to go to [the] university, I spent more than two hours commuting back and forth. [But] doing research from the university also has some positive points. I have access to the university library [and] my other colleagues. Here, I need to contact them, make an appointment, set a meeting with them... it is more challenging. I think a combination of them both is the best option.鈥�

Working from home can sometimes mean losing interactions with colleagues. To help keep CUE researchers connected and updated with one another, weekly meetings are set up through Zoom.

鈥淚n Bala鈥檚 weekly meetings, people mention what they鈥檙e doing and also if they have any road blocks or barriers,鈥� explains Jessie Ma, IESO research fellow and PhD student. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 one way where we interact with and try to help each other. At least once a week we have that opportunity to touch base and try to help each other to figure out a technical problem.鈥�

Beyond the practicalities, Ma also believes that the future of research and development in urban energy has changed because of the pandemic. 

鈥淚 think it is asking us to re-think what useful research we will explore going forward,鈥� says Ma. 鈥淓nergy patterns have changed [since] the global pandemic, and that could change what are the areas that are of most concern in delivering clean, cost effective, safe and reliable energy. We haven鈥檛 launched any new research projects on that yet, but it鈥檚 something we鈥檙e thinking about because energy will be a part of the recovery.鈥�