v. Science communication

(2026) ‘Where should we plant trees to cool down our cities?’

Quickfire Pitch at the Global Young Scientist Summit,
organised by Singapore’s National Research Foundation
(Prime Minister’s Office)

YouTube channel: National Research Foundation of Singapore

Paper: [under review]

(2024) ‘Plant a tree yesterday’

Selected video for 2024 Nature Awards Science in Shorts

YouTube channel: Nature Portfolio

Paper: ‘Using satellite imagery to investigate Blue-Green Infrastructure establishment time for urban cooling’

(2024) ‘How long it takes for urban vegetation to reach peak cooling?’

Self-produced video featuring my supervisors
Prof. João Leitão and Dr. Peter M. Bach.

YouTube channel: Peter M. Bach

Paper: ‘Using satellite imagery to investigate Blue-Green Infrastructure establishment time for urban cooling’

vi. In the media

(09.2026) ‘Heat waves: How cities can achieve cooling justice’
Climate.Table, Table.Briefings, LINK 🔗

(08.2026) ‘Cities are getting hotter: Thermal Justice offers a fairer way to adapt’
ETH Zürich D-BAUG news, Editorial Office, LINK 🔗

(02.2026) ‘Global Young Scientists Summit 2026: A Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience’
ETH Zürich Ambassadors Blog, LINK 🔗

(09.2025) ‘Trees need water to cool the city’
EAWAG news, Claudia Carle, LINK 🔗

(09.2025) ‘Trees need water to cool the city’
ETH Zürich D-BAUG news, Iris Mickein, LINK 🔗

(03.2025) ‘The NotebookLM Mini Series #1: Cooling establishment time, it's like baking a cake’
The Grand Challengers Podcast, Peter M. Bach, LINK 🔗

(02.2025) ‘Confronting ‘displacements’ in planning urban nature, climate and heat’
The Grand Challengers Podcast, Peter M. Bach, LINK 🔗

(09.2024) ‘Projeto Muçurana une Brasil e Suíça no bairro da Brasilândia’
FAU USP Destaques, LINK 🔗

(08.2024) ‘D-BAUG science video selected by Nature Awards’
ETH Zürich D-BAUG news, Iris Mickein, LINK 🔗

(01.2024) ‘Using satellite imagery to optimise urban cooling’
ETH Zürich D-BAUG news, Editorial Office, LINK 🔗

(09.2023) ‘Mit Grün und Blau gegen die Hitze’ (starts at 21min34sec)
SRF 2 Kultur, Wissenschaftsmagazin, Hirn aus dem Computer, Remo Vitelli, LINK 🔗

(09.2023) September newsletter: participant highlights
NASA-ARSET, LINK 🔗

(08.2023) ‘Using satellite imagery to optimise urban cooling’
Eawag News, Andri Bryner, LINK 🔗

(06.2022) ‘Vegetação nos tetos pode ser uma opção interessante para a gestão da água nas cidades’
Rádio USP, LINK 🔗

(04.2018) ‘Olhar para sentir’
Revista Vida Simples, Débora Gomes, LINK 🔗

(03.2018) ‘O caminho para o autoconhecimento’
Revista Vida Simples, Débora Gomes, LINK 🔗

(02.2018) Your Shot Photo Best Photo
National Geographic, LINK 🔗

vii. Scientific publications (5 highlights)

(2026) ‘Thermal Justice in urban climate change adaptation’
Gobatti, L.; Bach, P. M.; Mazzonee, A.; Falchetta, G.; Santamourish, M.; Maurer, M.; Leitão, J. P.
Nature Climate Change, Springer Nature
DOI:10.1038/s41558-026-02727-5

(2025) ‘Impact of soil moisture content on urban tree evaporative cooling and human thermal comfort’
Gobatti, L.; Bach, P.M.; Maurer, M.; Leitão, J.P.
npj Urban Sustainability, Springer Nature
DOI: 10.1038/s42949-025-00220-0

(2023) ‘Using satellite imagery to investigate Blue-Green Infrastructure establishment time for urban cooling’
Gobatti, L.; Bach, P.M.; Scheidegger, A.; Leitão, J.P.
Sustainable Cities and Society, Elsevier
DOI: 10.1016/j.scs.2023.104768

(2023) ‘Unmanaged vegetated roofs hydrological performance in subtropical areas: An investigation in São Paulo, Brazil’
Gobatti, L.; Leite, B.C.C.
Science of the Total Environment, Elsevier
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162417

(2022) ‘Vegetated roofs rainwater management experimental research in Brazil: a georeferenced exhaustive review of a continental-size country’
Gobatti, L.; Leite, B.C.C.
Cleaner Production Letters, Elsevier
DOI: 10.1016/j.clpl.2022.100013

viii. Thermal Justice game

The Thermal Justice board game (v1) is an interactive challenge where you and your team manage urban heat. In groups of four, you’ll test real cooling strategies in a randomly generated city, managing limited resources to protect the people most at risk.

Can you keep your city cool — and make it fair?

To the Thermal Justice game

Lucas Gobatti

i. About

I am currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the MIT Senseable City Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

I recently completed my doctoral research in Environmental Engineering at ETH Zurich, Switzerland. I also hold a double BSc degree in Civil Engineering with a minor in Urban Planning, as well as an MSc in Civil Engineering, all from Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil.

My work sits at the intersection of cities, climate, and equity. I develop tools that help cities make fairer decisions about heat mitigation and adaptation, turning the principles of Thermal Justice into practice.

Outside academia, you will likely find me in the mountains, behind a camera, immersed in a book, sitting on a meditation cushion, or playing samba. This website brings together my scientific work and the books that have shaped my thinking.

Thanks for stopping by!

#cooling #climatemodelling #environmentaljustice #thermaljustice #heatrisk #bluegreeninfrastructure #naturebasedsolutions #heatmitigation #stormwatermanagement #urbanphysics #philosophyoftechnology #philosophyofengineering

ii. Short CV

(2026 — now)

Postdoctoral Fellow
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Senseable City Lab

(2025 — 2026)

Lecturer
Water Module — Masters of Landscape Architecture
ETH Zürich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology),
Switzerland

(2022 — 2026)

Ph.D. Environmental Engineering
ETH Zürich and Eawag (Swiss Federal Institute for Aquatic Science and Technology),
Switzerland

(2020 — 2022)

M.Sc. Civil Engineering
Polytechnic School of
Universidade de São Paulo,
Brazil

(2012 — 2019)

B.Sc. Civil Engineering
Polytechnic School of
Universidade de São Paulo,
Brazil

(2015 — 2017)

B.Sc. Double Degree Architecture and Urban Planning
Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning
of Universidade de São Paulo,
Brazil

(2015 — 2016)

M.Eng. Study Abroad Year Civil Engineering
The University of Sheffield,
England, UK

To my complete Curriculum Vitae

iii. Bookshelf

Explore a selection books that made me who I am:

To my bookshelf

iv. Contact

gobatti@mit.edu

Correspondence:
MIT Senseable City Rio
Casa Firjan
Rua Guilhermina Guinle, 211
22270-060, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Instagram: @g0batti
LinkedIn: @lucas-gobatti

ORCID: 0000-0002-8561-2385
Google Scholar: user=XzDqOaYAAAAJ&hl=en
ResearchGate: Lucas-Gobatti