Materials Scientist
Two decades: 10,000 samples. Sheng-Huei Huang knows Aotearoa New Zealand's insulation better than almost anyone.
Sheng-Huei Huang is one of New Zealand's leading experts in the thermal performance of insulation materials. A materials scientist in BRANZ's Heat Transfer Lab, she has spent two decades testing insulation products for building code compliance and contributing to a database of 10,000 samples – data that feeds directly into the home insulation guide and the H1 building code.
Sheng-Huei has tested an estimated 60–70% of the standard insulation products on the New Zealand market, spanning glass wool, rigid foams, vacuum panels, wood fibre, and advanced systems, and produced over 2,950 reports. More recently, she has moved into thermal modelling and in-situ thermal measurement.
Sheng-Huei completed a master's in engineering at the University of Queensland and worked in manufacturing in Taiwan before joining BRANZ, where she was mentored by building physicist Dr Ian Cox-Smith. She hasn't looked back – finding a love of all things insulation that shows whenever she talks about her work.
"Every test teaches us something about building performance. After two decades, it’s that collective knowledge that helps improve building performance across Aotearoa New Zealand."
Qualifications
- MEng (Mechanical Engineering), University of Queensland
- BEng (Mechanical Engineering), Tatung University
