I3CE 2025 Speakers

Keynote Speaker:

Dr. John Taylor, Georgia Tech

Monday, May 12, from 8:30 AM to 9:15 AM

Dr. John E. Taylor is the inaugural Frederick Law Olmsted Professor at Georgia Tech, where he currently serves as the Associate Chair for Faculty Development and Research Innovation in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. At Georgia Tech, he is founder and Director of the Network Dynamics Lab, which focuses on; (1) achieving sustained energy conservation by coupling energy use with occupant networks and examining inter-building network phenomena in cities, and (2) understanding and improving response times by affected human networks during extreme events in urban areas. Dr. Taylor’s research has received over $8M in funding from the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and other public and private funding sources. His research was awarded the National Science Foundation’s CAREER Award in 2011. In 2020, Dr. Taylor was elected to the National Academy of Construction for his research and pedagogical efforts to improve urban sustainability and resilience and guide the evolution of smart cities. Dr. Taylor has authored over 250 technical publications, won five journal best paper awards, and founded two technology startups.

Presentation Title: Smart City Digital Twins: Toward More Sustainable, Resilient, and Livable Cities

Abstract:

Reports by the National Academies in the United States have encouraged investment in de-veloping a more comprehensive understanding of network dynamics at the intersection be-tween human and engineered networks.  Concurrently, cities are addressing rapid urbani-zation challenges by implementing socio-technological changes in their infrastructure sys-tems as they evolve toward becoming smarter cities. The success of such an evolution, however, relies on solutions that can combine data from individual infrastructure compo-nents to urban scale networks. A great deal of research has focused on developing an un-derstanding of data analytics at the scale of the city and of individual infrastructure com-ponents. However, there is a gap in our understanding, data collection approaches, and an-alytical methods to integrate and visualize such disparate data and complex network dy-namics. This presentation will describe efforts to formalize and implement a Smart City Digi-tal Twin platform, with an emphasis on understanding, modeling, and improving energy consumption and disaster mobility across spatial scales, to foster more sustainable, resili-ent, and livable cities.

2025 Computing in Civil Engineering Award:

Dr. Nora El-Gohary, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Monday, May 12, from 12:30 PM to 1:45 PM

Professor Nora El-Gohary has been named the recipient of the 2025 Computing in Civil Engineering Award by the Computing Division of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). The award recognizes El-Gohary’s pioneering leadership in advancing the science and application of data analytics and artificial intelligence for sustainable and resilient buildings and infrastructure systems.

El-Gohary has established a distinguished record of scholarship and leadership within the field of computing in civil engineering, with internationally renowned expertise in data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI). She is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has authored over 180 top-tier peer-reviewed journal articles, conference publications, and book chapters, making substantial contributions to theories, new knowledge, and models that have advanced the field of computing and AI for civil engineering. For example, El-Gohary’s research in automated compliance checking was pioneering in introducing natural language processing and generative AI to the field, developing novel models that surpassed the state of the art and helped shape the future of research in the domain. Her outstanding achievements have earned her numerous prestigious honors, including the NSERC Discovery Award (2009), NSF CAREER Award (2013), Center for Advanced Study Award (2015), National Center for Supercomputing Applications Award (2018), Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment Award (2019), and Grainger College of Engineering Award for Excellence in Research (2020). Beyond her research contributions, El-Gohary has demonstrated exceptional service and professional leadership. She currently serves as the Co-Editor-in-Chief of the ASCE Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering. She also held several prominent leadership positions within ASCE and TRB, including Co-Chair of the TRB’s Information Systems in Construction Management Subcommittee, Chair of the Data Sensing and Analysis Committee, Chair of the Executive Committee of the Construction Research Council, and Chair of the Executive Committee of the Computing Division. She was recognized for Outstanding Service as Construction Research Council Chair (2022).

2025 Hapin Award:

Dr. Jiansong Zhang, Purdue University

Wednesday, May 13, 2025, from 7:30 AM to 8:45 AM

 
The Daniel W. Halpin Award for Scholarship in Construction was established by the Board of Directors on January 18, 2011, to recognize individuals who have demonstrated outstanding scholarship that advances construction engineering as a science. It was named in honor of Daniel W. Halpin, Ph.D., Dist.M.ASCE, who is recognized as one of the leading authorities in the world on the use of simulation in studying construction processes. The Construction Institute administers the award through the Honors and Awards Program.

Dr. Jiansong Zhang is an Associate Professor of Construction Management Technology at Purdue University. He is the “Father of Invariant Signatures in AEC”. He is the founder and director of the Automation and Intelligent Construction (AutoIC) Lab, which develops scientific theories/methods and advanced technologies to support construction engineering and management, construction automation, and a sustainable & resilient built environment. He also founded and directed the Digital Twin and Robotic Automation Center for Knowledge Sharing, Entrepreneurship, and Research (DigiTRACKER) at Purdue. Dr. Zhang earned his Bachelor of Construction Management from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China, with the top grade in his department, his M.Sc. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, and his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He worked in the Civil and Construction Engineering Department at Western Michigan University as an Assistant Professor for two years before joining the School of Construction Management Technology at Purdue University as an Assistant Professor in Aug. 2017. Dr. Zhang’s research resulted in 170+ refereed journal and conference publications, multiple U.S. patents (some provisional), 10+ technology disclosures, multiple published datasets and technical reports, and tens of conference talks. Dr. Zhang’s technologies have been adopted by industries such as domestic software companies and international organizations. Dr. Zhang has been awarded more than $8 million in research grants, including $1.346 million in National Science Foundation (NSF) research grants as the Principal Investigator. Dr. Zhang has won multiple awards, such as receiving the prestigious ASCE Daniel W. Halpin Award for Scholarship in Construction this year, the Purdue Corps of Engagement Award, the John P. Lisack Early-Career Engagement Award, and was awarded SCMT Outstanding Faculty in Discovery and Outstanding Faculty in Engagement. Dr. Zhang has also been awarded the inaugural “Purdue Polytechnic Institute Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration Award” as one of only two recipients in the college.